Underdog Releases Saluki 27B: 7.89GB Quantized Model Self-Reports Better Tool Calling Than Original
Underdog released Saluki 27B, a 2-bit quantized model based on Qwen3.8-27B weighing just 7.89GB, which self-reports superior tool-calling performance compared to the 54GB original.
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Underdog (Conway Research) has released Saluki 27B, a 2-bit quantized GGUF model based on Qwen3.8-27B with a file size of only 7.89GB.
The model targets local developers seeking agent workflow support on standard llama.cpp runtimes. According to the official model card, Saluki scored 88 on "Underdog Bench" (120 tasks from BFCL v4), surpassing the 54GB full-precision original's score of 84. In parallel tool-calling tests, Saluki achieved 42 points versus the original's 35.
However, this compression involves significant trade-offs. Official data shows Saluki's performance on competition math (AIME 2025) dropped to 79.2 from the original's 96.7, retaining about 82% of capability. Additionally, some benchmark comparisons rely on public scores from different testing frameworks, and all results are vendor self-reported without independent reproduction so far.