- Fujitsu automates COBOL documentation, reducing analysis time by 97%
- The system creates design documents without needing deep programming skills
- Knowledge Graph retrieval minimizes inaccuracies and enhances documentation completeness
Fujitsu has launched an innovative generative AI service that analyzes COBOL and other legacy source code, generating design documents in minutes instead of hours.
This system is designed to function autonomously, producing design documents without the need for expert knowledge. This significantly lessens the dependency on specialized programmers.
According to the company, the Fujitsu Application Transform powered by Fujitsu Kozuchi eliminates the requirement for thorough manual review, reducing the time needed to comprehend complex source code by roughly 97%.
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Enhancements in Accuracy and Readability
This service is designed to provide a clear understanding of existing system specifications, offering organizations a valuable tool to effectively support modernization efforts.
When compared to analysis performed solely by generic AI tools, Fujitsu’s proprietary solution raises the standard of generated documentation.
The system connects extensive volumes of source code through an Enhanced Knowledge Graph retrieval system.
This linkage helps prevent omissions and inaccuracies, ensuring that the generated design documents accurately reflect all relevant system details.
This method enhances completeness by 95% and improves readability by 60%, resulting in documentation that is much easier for teams to interpret and utilize.
These enhancements are especially crucial when working with COBOL, a programming language designed by Dr. Grace Hopper in 1959, which boasts an estimated 850 billion lines of code.
Despite being over 65 years old, COBOL remains prevalent, and businesses continue to rely heavily on this age-old system.
COBOL frequently drives the essential transaction systems of banks, insurance companies, and government agencies, often behind the scenes.
During the pandemic, the United States highlighted concerns over the shortage of COBOL programmers needed to operate vital systems, underscoring its significance.
Before the advent of Fujitsu’s system, Anthropic remarked that AI could be instrumental in ensuring COBOL continues to function effectively.
Fujitsu plans to offer support services to assist organizations in utilizing this new system effectively. This year, the company is set to launch features that will aid in redesigning existing source code for future applications.
The system will autonomously rewrite code and facilitate ongoing maintenance and operation.
This progressive development ensures that organizations not only gain a better understanding of legacy systems but also have the ability to adapt and maintain them with minimal manual effort.
“We view this announcement as a significant step forward in the modernization of our legacy systems… we have come to recognize the potential of this technology,” stated Toshihiro Horiuchi, Managing Executive Officer at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.
This advancement presents a notable opportunity for many engineering teams, but IBM, a key provider of COBOL-based mainframes and enterprise systems, will need to adapt its strategy to avoid being left behind in the realm of automated legacy system modernization.
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