IBM (NYSE:IBM) has introduced a self-hosted deployment option for IBM Bob, its agentic software development platform, allowing organisations to operate the technology within on-premises, private-cloud, sovereign-cloud and air-gapped environments.
The new deployment option is aimed at enterprises with security and compliance requirements that restrict the use of public artificial intelligence platforms, including organisations working with sensitive source code, regulated data or critical infrastructure.
IBM said the self-hosted model allows customers to use AI-based software development and modernisation capabilities without transferring their code or data to external services.
Enterprises Can Use On-Premises or External AI Models
Organisations can run supported AI models on premises, including within air-gapped environments, using models they have licensed.
Alternatively, IBM Bob can connect to external model services through hybrid configurations, allowing enterprises to select a deployment structure based on their security, regulatory and operational requirements.
“Organizations need AI that operates inside environments they have control over, especially when working with sensitive code and regulated data,” said Neel Sundaresan, general manager of AI and Automation at IBM. “Bob’s self-hosted deployment provides a way for enterprises to bring agentic AI directly to those environments so they can benefit from the technology while maintaining security, compliance, and operational control.”
IBM Cites Demand for Data Residency and Hybrid Infrastructure
IBM cited a June 2026 report from its Institute for Business Value in which 68% of surveyed executives said meeting data residency and sovereignty requirements across different geographies was challenging.
The company also referenced research from Futurum Research projecting that hybrid and edge deployments will account for 44% of the AI infrastructure market by 2030, while the public-cloud share is projected at 46%. These figures represent research forecasts rather than established future market outcomes.
IBM has previously described Bob as a platform designed to extend beyond code generation by supporting software development teams with broader delivery and modernisation tasks.
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