The IBM i Developer and IBM Z modes are now premium packages — optional add-ons enterprise admins assign to specific users. A team of 200 doesn’t need IBM i premium; just the 30 who work on RPG do. This unlocked adoption at every organization that previously couldn’t justify company-wide licensing.
The new architecture decouples the IDE layer from the inference backend. This is what makes On-Premises possible: the IDE stays consistent, the AI runs wherever you need it — IBM Cloud, private watsonx.ai, or your own cluster.
Enterprise controls: shared Bobcoin pool, admin dashboard, team management, dedicated support. The full picture for a CIO: “Your RPG devs get IBM i premium. Your Java devs get AppMod. Your admin controls it from one dashboard.”