Codeium

Codeium is the original name of the free AI coding assistant now distributed as the Windsurf Plugin, an autocomplete and chat extension for editors including JetBrains IDEs, VS Code, and Jupyter Notebook.

The tool comes from a company founded in 2021 as Exafunction, which optimized GPU workloads for deep learning before moving up the stack and rebranding to Codeium in 2022. After its Windsurf editor launched in November 2024, the company took that name too in April 2025 and renamed the Codeium extensions Windsurf Plugins. Cognition, maker of the Devin coding agent, acquired it in July 2025.

Cognition renamed the Windsurf editor Devin Desktop in June 2026, while the extensions kept the Windsurf Plugin name. Here’s how the names line up over time:

Exafunction (2021) rebrands to Codeium (2022), renamed Windsurf Plugin (Apr 2025) after the Windsurf editor, then acquired by Cognition.
One Product, Four Names in Five Years

For Python developers, the plugin suggests single and multi-line completions across more than 70 languages, extending a partial function header into multiple lines of code. In-editor chat handles refactoring, explaining, and translating code, and the JetBrains plugin adds Cascade, the Windsurf agent that edits files and runs commands from a prompt. Jupyter Notebook support brings the same completions to data work.

The JetBrains plugin is the actively developed integration, while the VS Code, Vim, and other versions sit in maintenance mode.

Official website: docs.devin.ai/windsurf/plugins

Two people operating a factory machine with conveyor belts and panels labeled Manual Control Center and Automatic Flow Center, with a Python logo on a chip.

Tutorial

Cursor vs Windsurf: Which AI Code Editor Is Best for Python?

Compare Cursor vs Windsurf for Python across code completion, multi-file editing, and debugging to choose the right editor for your workflow.

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For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:

By Martin Breuss • Updated Sept. 8, 2026
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