In the last decade, a new numerical paradigm for continuum solvation models has been proposed. The new algorithm, based on Schwarz's alternating domain decomposition (dd), has originally been proposed by some of us for the COSMO model. The resulting algorithm, which we have named ddCOSMO , exhibits all the properties that make it an ideal candidate to bridge the gap between the two communities. ddCOSMO achieves linear scaling in computational cost and memory requirements, can be used to compute analytical gradients and other response properties with arbitrary accuracy, it can be used to descrive very large systems , and can be easily interfaced with quantum mechanical and polarizable models . After the initial work on ddCOSMO, the domain decomposition paradigm has been extended to the PCM and, more recently, to the LPB model . For the latter models, a straightforward dd implementation exhibits quadratic scaling computational cost. To overcome this difficulty, a linear scaling implementation based on the Fast Multiple Method has further been achieved . All three models have analytical gradients and are numerically robust and accurate.