Underdog AI launches 7.89GB Saluki 27B model that beats the original at tool use

AI lab Underdog AI has released Saluki 27B, a 2-bit quantized and fine-tuned version of Qwen3.8-27B. It is built for AI agent apps, and the file is just 7.89GB.

The model only supports text input and output. It comes in the standard llama.cpp format, so it loads in normal apps without any custom setup.

Underdog says Saluki is good at everyday reasoning and using tools, though weaker at math. Its tool choice and calling many tools at once even beat the full-size Qwen3.8-27B.

The model is now open on HuggingFace. Its low hardware needs make it a fresh option for running agent apps on local machines.