IBM has announced several updates to its watsonx platform and unveiled several new data and automation capabilities. The company also introduced a family of open-source IBM Granite models built for various code-related tasks.

This includes a new class of watsonx assistants for enterprise Java applications and IBM Z systems, with functionalities like code explanation and modernization. IBM open-sourced its advanced Granite language and code models, available under Apache 2.0 licenses on Hugging Face and GitHub. These models support various programming tasks like code generation and bug fixing. Furthermore, IBM and Red Hat introduced InstructLab, a methodology for the continuous development of AI models using open-source contributions.

The company claims that these updated Granite models and the InstructLab approach allow developers to build more tailored models specific to their business domains.

Analyst QuickTake : Since its launch in May 2023, watsonx has received several updates. In October 2023 , IBM introduced watsonx Code Assistant, an AI-powered tool for enterprise developers and IT operators. In December 2023 , IBM launched watsonx Governance, designed for proactive risk detection and mitigation.