IBM Launches Watsonx Code Assistant for Enterprise Application Modernization

IBM has unveiled Watsonx Code Assistant, an innovative generative AI-powered assistant tailored to enhance the coding and application modernization process for enterprises. The product aims to accelerate development while prioritising trust, security, and compliance, leveraging generative Artificial Intelligence based on IBM’s Granite foundation models for code running on the Watsons platform.

Watsonx Code Assistant caters to two specific enterprise use cases: 

1. IT Automation with Watsonx Code Assistant for Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed: This feature is designed to streamline tasks like network configuration and code deployment. Users can input plain English prompts to generate task recommendations for Ansible Playbooks, ensuring adherence to best practices in task creation and maintenance. This feature empowers a broader range of team members to efficiently create Ansible Playbooks, even without extensive training. In the technical preview, it achieved an impressive 85% overall average acceptance rate for AI-generated content recommendations, resulting in productivity improvements ranging from 20% to 45%. Read Here Official Release

2. Mainframe Application Modernization with Watsonx Code Assistant for Z: This component is dedicated to translating COBOL to Java, ultimately enhancing developer productivity on the platform. It assists businesses in leveraging generative AI and automated tools to expedite mainframe application modernization while retaining the performance, security, and resiliency capabilities of IBM Z. The product follows an application modernization lifecycle, which includes application discovery, automated refactoring, and the transformation of COBOL business services into object-oriented Java code. Future releases are expected to include automated test case generation for validation testing.

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IBM Consulting plays a pivotal role in supporting clients across various industries, including banking, insurance, healthcare, and government, by offering strategies to harness the potential of generative AI and code generation for modernization.

This development is part of IBM’s growing lineup of Watsonx assistants, which aim to implement generative AI effectively. Watsonx Code Assistant empowers developers and IT operators with AI-assisted code development and application modernization tools, fostering productivity and addressing skills gaps.

IBM’s partnership with Red Hat plays a crucial role in this initiative. Watsonx Code Assistant for Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed has the potential to close skills gaps, increase organisational efficiencies, and unlock greater business value. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform enables developers and IT operators to automate a wide range of IT tasks, from infrastructure management to application deployment.

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Additionally, Watsonx Code Assistant for Z aims to accelerate the translation of COBOL to Java, allowing businesses to take full advantage of generative AI and automated tooling for mainframe application modernization. This product offers a comprehensive approach, starting with application discovery and concluding with validation testing. It’s anticipated that future releases will include support for automated test case generation.

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IBM Consulting collaborates with clients to provide continuous automation, enhance Ansible Playbook productivity, improve code quality, and transform IT operations. They also identify the right application areas for modernization with IBM Z.

For those seeking personalised use cases with Watsonx Code Assistant, IBM Consulting and IBM Client Engineering work closely with clients to address specific pain points and tackle critical business and technical challenges. IBM’s deep industry expertise in application modernization, IT automation, and generative AI positions them as a trusted partner for enterprises looking to embrace these transformative technologies.

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