# IBM releases self-hosted IBM Bob for on-prem and air-gapped use

Digest AI · Enterprise & Industry · published 2026-10-03T06:55:15Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/ibm-releases-self-hosted-ibm-bob-for-on-prem-and-air-gapped-use

## Summary

IBM announced general availability of a self-hosted deployment for IBM Bob, its agentic software development platform. The option lets enterprises run Bob on premises, in private or sovereign clouds, and in air‑gapped networks. IBM requires customers to source, license and host a supported model themselves; pricing is not published and buyers are directed to a demo request.

Bob’s self‑hosted deployment includes core capabilities such as an IDE experience, BobShell, parallel tool calling, an agent harness, skills and modes. It supports self‑hosted, air‑gapped and hybrid model configurations, bring‑your‑own‑license for eligible models on IBM’s supported list, and optional premium packages for Java modernization, IBM i and IBM Z. IBM plans to expand its model portfolio and add multi‑model routing; hybrid mode can route selected workloads to Claude, Gemini or GPT models.

IBM gives an example of a bank running on‑prem inference for core banking applications while routing less restricted workloads to external models. The platform aims to modernize long‑lived estates, especially Java, IBM i and mainframe code, in environments that cannot touch the public internet.

## Key points

- IBM Bob self-hosted GA for on-prem, sovereign cloud, air-gapped use
- Customers bring own model: Nemotron or Poolside Laguna for full isolation
- Hybrid mode routes selected workloads to Claude, Gemini or GPT models

## Why it matters

IBM's self-hosted Bob gives enterprises control over AI development in isolated environments, enabling secure code modification and modernization of legacy Java, IBM i and mainframe systems without exposing data to the public internet. This expands the reach of agentic development tools to regulated sectors and supports compliance with data sovereignty requirements.

## Sources

1. [IBM Brings Bob to Self-Hosted and Air-Gapped Environments: Agentic Software Development Without Moving Your Code](https://marktechpost.com/2026/10/02/ibm-brings-bob-to-self-hosted-and-air-gapped-environments) (MarkTechPost, 2026-10-03)

## Cite

Digest AI, "IBM releases self-hosted IBM Bob for on-prem and air-gapped use", 3 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/ibm-releases-self-hosted-ibm-bob-for-on-prem-and-air-gapped-use

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