IBM has made a self-hosted version of Bob, its agentic software development platform, generally available. The deployment option is designed for enterprises that need to run development tools in restricted environments, including on-premises data centers, private or sovereign clouds, and fully air-gapped networks.
A key feature of this release is that customers bring their own model. IBM lists NVIDIA Nemotron and Poolside Laguna as supported options, allowing organizations to pair Bob with models that meet their security and compliance requirements. This approach avoids sending code to external cloud services, which is often a blocker for regulated industries.
The announcement reflects a broader trend in enterprise AI: agentic tools are being adapted to environments where data cannot leave the premises. By offering a self-hosted path, IBM is targeting organizations that want the productivity gains of AI-assisted development without sacrificing control over their codebase.