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IBM launches watsonx Code Assistant for Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed, Z

IBM has unveiled watsonx Code Assistant, an AI-driven tool built on Granite foundation models, designed to assist enterprise developers and IT operators with coding tasks using natural language inputs.

Watsonx Code Assistant currently addresses two primary enterprise scenarios: IT automation with Code Assistant for Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed, and mainframe application modernization with Code Assistant for Z.

Watsonx Code Assistant for Red Hat Ansible Lightspeed

This offering allows users to employ natural language to generate task recommendations for Ansible Playbooks, used for IT automation tasks.

Watsonx Code Assistant for Z

Focused on translating COBOL to Java, this function aims to speed up mainframe application modernization. The tool follows an application discovery and refactoring process before using generative AI to convert COBOL business services into Java code.

IBM says it is considering extending Code Assistant to offer domain-specific capabilities for code generation and explanation throughout the software development lifecycle.

[Image courtesy: IBM]

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