Using generative AI to streamline COBOL migration
Digital transformation requires businesses to move older systems onto modern technology. Migrating legacy applications built in COBOL, or Common Business-Oriented Language, is a particular challenge. COBOL has supported critical systems in finance, insurance and government for decades, but maintenance and expansion can be difficult, and experienced engineers are becoming harder to find. This article examines how generative AI can support migration.
What is generative AI?
Generative AI is a field of machine learning concerned with models that produce text and code. It supports natural language processing as well as automatic code generation and conversion. Recent advances have made AI-assisted translation and optimization of COBOL code increasingly practical.
Challenges in COBOL migration
Common challenges include:
Skills shortages:The number of engineers with detailed COBOL knowledge is declining.
System complexity: Years of modifications and extensions have increased the complexity of many systems.
Minimising downtime: Migration must keep disruption to ongoing business operations to a minimum.
How generative AI can help
An AI-assisted COBOL migration can include the following steps:
1. Automating code conversion
Generative AI can convert COBOL code into modern languages such as Java or Python, reducing the amount of manual conversion work required.
2. Optimising the converted code
AI can also help optimize generated code to improve performance. This enables a migration to deliver more than a language conversion, with a system that runs faster and more efficiently.
3. Automating tests
Generative AI can produce test cases for the migrated system, supporting faster, more thorough testing and helping establish its reliability.
An example from practice
One financial institution used generative AI when migrating an older COBOL system to Java, reducing the project duration by half. Optimising the generated code also delivered a substantial improvement in system performance.
Supporting digital transformation
COBOL migration is an important part of modernising business systems. Generative AI can make this work more efficient and help organizations move to modern technology sooner. Our IT consulting team applies AI to support that transition. For businesses planning to modernise a COBOL environment, an AI-assisted approach is worth considering.
Contact our specialist team to discuss your requirements. We can help you plan the next stage of your digital transformation.