21.04.2026 News
New joint research project: ALTAI (Automatic Language Translation Using Artificial Intelligence)
On 1 June 2026, the joint research project ALTAI (Automatic Language Translation Using Artificial Intelligence) of the DHSN (Saxony Cooperative State University) and pro et con will start.
Many companies worldwide use outdated custom-built software (legacy), developed in obsolete programming languages (such as COBOL, PL/I, etc.). Legacy software is difficult to adapt to modern IT technologies. Consequently, many of these companies are planning to migrate their legacy software, which involves converting the programmes into modern programming languages. Experience shows that the strategy pursued by pro et con – a fully automated migration – currently is the only practical way to migrate legacy software within a manageable project timeframe. However, developing the mapping rules for programme transformation takes a considerable amount of time.
For some time now, AI models have offered approaches to partial language conversion; however, according to our research, these do not currently fully meet the extremely high demands of a software migration. This R&D project aims to explore the possibilities and limitations of AI-based software migration. The project is expected to reveal the extent to which AI-based technologies can usefully complement and improve existing compiler-based technologies and tools.
The research project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) as part of the programme Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand (ZIM).