Windsurf debuts SWE-1 model family for advanced software engineering flows

Windsurf Editor latest Wave 9 update launches the SWE-1 family of models, including SWE-1, SWE-1-lite, and SWE-1-mini, designed for end-to-end software engineering workflows. Unlike traditional code assistants, these models support entire development workflows, allowing for reasoning over incomplete project states, integration with multiple developer tools, and long-running task management.

SWE-1 is positioned to match the top performance of models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet but at a lower cost, and is currently available free to paid users during a promotional period. The lighter SWE-1-lite model, which replaces Cascade Base, delivers higher quality and offers unlimited access to all, including free-tier users. SWE-1-mini, designed for fast, low-latency support in passive and predictive tasks within Windsurf Tab, is also freely available.

SWE-1 introduces flow awareness for real-time, collaborative AI-human interactions. It manages incomplete tasks effectively and supports interactive development by tracking edits, terminal commands, and other user actions across IDEs, browsers, and conversations through a shared timeline in Windsurf. Benchmarking indicates that SWE-1 matches leading commercial models and outperforms many mid-sized open-weight models, excelling in both human-in-the-loop and autonomous benchmarks.