IBM Says Its Generative AI Tool Can Convert Old COBOL Code To Java

IBM is introducing the watsonx Code Assistant for Z, a tool that uses generative AI to translate COBOL code to Java. This tool is set to be available in Q4 2023 and aims to speed up the translation of COBOL to Java on IBM's Z mainframes. The Register reports: According to IBM, there are billions of lines of COBOL code out there as potential candidates for modernization (a report last year estimated the total figure at 775-850 billion lines). For this reason, the generative AI features in watsonx Code Assistant for Z are intended to help developers to assess and determine the code most in need of modernization, allowing them to more speedily update large applications and focus on critical tasks. IBM wants to provide tooling for each step of the modernization process, starting with its Application Discovery and Delivery Intelligence (ADDI) inventory and analysis tool. Other steps include refactoring business services in COBOL, transforming the code to Java code, and then validating the resulting outcome with the aid of automated testing. The resulting Java code emitted by watsonx Code Assistant for Z will be object-oriented, but will still interoperate with the rest of the COBOL application IBM claimed, as well as with key services such as CICS, IMS, DB2, and other z/OS runtimes.

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