IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z version 2.0 is now available

Authored by: Rich Larin, Husein Shamshudin

IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z leverages generative AI to accelerate the mainframe application modernization journey and offers an end-to-end experience that supports developers across the mainframe application modernization lifecycle. With features designed for faster application understanding, automated refactoring, and COBOL to Java transformation, developers can accelerate modernizing their applications, helping reducing time to value as well as cutting risks and costs.

Continuing IBM’s innovation in Generative AI, as previously announced, we are pleased to highlight two new capabilities within watsonx Code Assistant for Z release 2.0 now available today.

What’s new?

To help bridge the skill-gap and accelerate time to value with application understanding and documentation, Code Explanation is now available as a VS Code extension within watsonx Code Assistant for Z. We are also excited to announce the availability for clients to deploy the LLM that powers our generative AI capabilities for code transformation on-premises, allowing clients to support their data privacy and sovereignty requirements.

Leverage code explanation for application code understanding and documentation

Highly complex mainframe applications can be insufficiently documented and often lack application SME support. This can result in a lack of application knowledge necessary for proper modernization and maintenance.

Designed to overcome these challenges, the Code Explanation feature of IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z will help accelerate a developer’s understanding of COBOL code. It helps grasp functionality by explaining selected lines of code or complete business functions in natural English, aiding in code refactoring, helping to accelerate the learning curve in projects, or updating documentation. This capability leverages generative AI based on IBM's Granite foundation model, specifically trained on COBOL code explanation, to help drive enterprise application modernization.

With Code Explanation, developers can get AI-generated explanations with the click of a button.

This especially helps to:

• Reduce the knowledge gap: with real-time explanation of COBOL code, developers without deep application expertise can quickly learn what the code is doing to accelerate development or modernization efforts.

• Free up your senior subject matter experts: for advanced modernization work by reducing knowledge bottlenecks in your organization through real-time explanation of code.

• Increase application knowledge while reducing manual documentation: code explanation helps to generate documentation faster, saving developers time to focus on more critical tasks and improve the organization’s productivity with well-documented applications for future maintainability. 

• Make informed modernization decisions: With real-time explanations of their COBOL programs in the Understand and Refactor phases, architects can form a more comprehensive understanding of their applications in order to identify the best modernization strategy

On-premises availability: Leverage the curated LLM for COBOL to Java transformation tailored to your hybrid cloud strategy

Clients now have flexibility to choose how they deploy the LLM for code transformation. This generative AI capability can either be deployed in the cloud or now on-premises with this new release.

The significance of data security and privacy cannot be overstated for numerous organizations. To enable clients to comply with their data privacy, sovereignty, or compliance requirements while leveraging the power of generative AI within IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z, IBM’s large language model is now available for code transformation on-premises. To build a consistent and scalable foundation, IBM’s generative AI technology stack is based on Red Hat OpenShift for virtualization and the LLM is built on top of IBM’s watsonx.ai Granite code model. To leverage this AI stack on-premises, IBM Cloud Pak for Data is now supported as the on-premises host platform for watsonx Code Assistant for Z. All of these required deployment components are now included with watsonx Code Assistant for Z.

With the new on-premises availability of the Transform capability, organizations will gain the ability to deploy IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z's Understand, Refactor, Transform and Validate capabilities all on-premises.

See how the existing and new capabilities of IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z can accelerate your mainframe modernization journey.

Book a live demo today to explore the new features first-hand and see the value they bring to your modernization efforts. 

Keep an eye on future product updates as IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z continues to evolve! Sign up to hear the latest news around upcoming product advancements and newly added features to help accelerate application modernization efforts.