JetBrains Optimizes IDEs for Local AI Using Qwen 27B Model
JetBrains is reportedly optimizing its Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) to support local AI coding assistance, specifically utilizing a Qwen 27B model. The integration reportedly favors a Qwen 3.6 variant over Qwen 3.8 to better meet reasoning and thinking requirements. This development allows developers to run powerful AI coding assistants locally on their own hardware, ensuring better data privacy and reducing reliance on cloud-based APIs. It marks a significant step forward in the adoption of local Large Language Models (LLMs) within mainstream developer workflows. Users can configure local models in JetBrains IDEs by navigating to Settings, then Tools, AI Assistant, and configuring Providers & API keys. The choice of a 27B parameter model balances local hardware capabilities with the reasoning depth required for complex coding tasks.
## BACKGROUND
JetBrains develops popular IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm, which feature an integrated AI Assistant for code autocompletion and chat. Qwen is a family of advanced multilingual LLMs developed by Alibaba, widely used for code generation and reasoning tasks. Running LLMs locally keeps source code within the developer's local environment, addressing enterprise security and privacy concerns.