IBM iSeries/AS400 Modernization Developments in 2025

Modernizing IBM i (formerly AS/400) has become a strategic imperative in 2025. IBM emphasizes that organizations running business-critical applications on IBM i must modernize to stay competitive, improve security, and boost efficiency.

Over the past year, IBM introduced new tools and services, expanded cloud integration, enhanced application/database capabilities, and outlined strategies to transform legacy IBM i environments. Below is a comprehensive overview of these developments, based only on official IBM information and community developments, structured by key areas of modernization.

New Platforms and Tools for IBM i Modernization

iA Impact Analysis - Empowering IBM i Modernization

iA Impact Analysis by Programmers.io is an AI-powered solution designed to streamline IBM i application analysis and modernization efforts. It automates the assessment of code changes, significantly reducing analysis time and enhancing accuracy.

Key features include comprehensive dependency mapping through tools like "Where Object is Used" and "Where Variable is Used," as well as visual aids such as the "Object Context Matrix" and "Hierarchy Structure Diagram" to facilitate a deeper understanding of application structures.

Accessible via a user-friendly web interface, iA eliminates the need for additional installations, making it a cost-effective choice for organizations aiming to modernize their IBM i applications efficiently.

IBM Watsonx Code Assistant for i

In May 2025, IBM announced a new AI-powered coding assistant specifically for IBM i. Watsonx Code Assistant for i (currently in preview) is designed to accelerate application modernization by using generative AI to help refactor and update RPG code.

It integrates directly into developers’ Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) to provide intelligent code explanations, suggestions, and (in the future) automated code generation and test creation. This tool is built on IBM’s Granite AI model tuned for RPG, and will support flexible deployment (on-cloud, on-premises, or hybrid) to meet diverse client needs.

By reducing the IBM i learning curve and automating tedious code transformations, Watsonx Code Assistant for i aims to address the RPG skills gap and technical debt in legacy codebases.

Modern Developer Tools (RDi and VS Code)

IBM continues to enhance its developer tooling for IBM i. Rational Developer for i (RDi), IBM’s Eclipse-based IDE, received updates (latest RDi 9.8.0.4) with refreshed core components (e.g. adopting Java 11) and improved integration with IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS).

Meanwhile, IBM and the community have significantly improved the IBM i extension for Visual Studio Code, allowing developers to work on IBM i in a lightweight, modern IDE.

Recent enhancements include the ability to compile RPG/COBOL sources from a local workstation, better language support (translations for multiple languages), SQL syntax hover help, and other productivity features in VS Code. These improvements make it easier for teams to adopt agile DevOps practices on IBM i using contemporary tools.

Integration with IBM Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Capabilities

IBM i on Power Virtual Server (IBM Cloud)

IBM i can be deployed on IBM’s Power Virtual Server cloud, enabling hybrid cloud architectures for AS/400 workloads. In late 2024 and into 2025, IBM delivered new high-availability (HA) and disaster recovery capabilities that integrate on-premises IBM i systems with IBM Cloud.

Notably, IBM PowerHA for i introduced Global Replication Services (GRS) support for IBM Cloud. This allows asynchronous replication of IBM i data between on-prem data centers and IBM Cloud PowerVS instances.

In practice, an IBM i partition can continuously replicate data to a mirrored instance in IBM’s cloud, providing near real-time failover and a cloud-based DR option that mimics on-premises Global Mirror solutions.

Hybrid Cloud HA/DR Enhancements

IBM extended PowerHA SystemMirror for i features better support for hybrid cloud deployments.

In the latest PowerHA version (5.7.3), IBM added IASP (Independent ASP) integration with Power Virtual Server, including LUN-level volume switching and FlashCopy support in cloud environments. These capabilities let IBM i clients create point-in-time snapshots (FlashCopy) of cloud-based IBM i storage and easily switch or failover workloads between on-prem and cloud nodes.

Such integration means organizations can offload backups or testing to a cloud node and achieve multi-site resilience – combining cloud and on-prem HA – with similar automation and management to purely on-site configurations.

IBM’s approach effectively enables hybrid cloud clustering for IBM i, giving enterprises more flexibility in how they protect and scale critical workloads.

IBM i "Migrate While Active" to Cloud

To facilitate cloud adoption and hardware refresh, IBM introduced IBM i Migrate While Active at the end of 2024. This is a migration utility that orchestrates moving an IBM i partition to new hardware or to IBM Cloud with minimal downtime.

The tool creates a copy of the source IBM i LPAR and continuously synchronizes changes from the live system to the target until cutover. Migrate While Active supports migrations to remote destinations such as IBM Power Virtual Server in IBM Cloud, keeping the source system online during data transfer.

When the source and target are synchronized, a final switchover occurs, drastically reducing outage time. This strategy enables organizations to upgrade or re-host IBM i applications (for example, moving from on-premises infrastructure into IBM Cloud) with near-zero business disruption.

Application and Database Modernization Features

Enhanced Db2 for i and SQL Services

IBM continues to modernize the IBM i database (Db2 for i) with each Technology Refresh. In 2025, IBM i 7.5 TR6 delivered numerous database enhancements aimed at more modern and efficient data access. This included new and updated SQL capabilities and IBM i Services – which are SQL-based interfaces to system functions.

For example, TR6 added new services like QSYS2.AUTHORITY_COLLECTION_IFS (to query IFS authority info) and others in QSYS2/SYSTOOLS for managing system information, as well as enhancements to existing services (e.g. extended QSYS2.ACTIVE_JOB_INFO and disk status services).

By expanding these SQL-based services, IBM i enables administrators and developers to manage the system and query system data using modern SQL rather than legacy CL commands or APIs.

Additionally, a new SQL Error Logging Facility was introduced to give database engineers more control over logging behavior. These features make the platform more accessible and integration-friendly, aligning IBM i with contemporary data practices (such as using SQL for everything, from operations monitoring to JSON data handling).

Modern Application Development Support

IBM i’s support for modern programming paradigms has grown in 2025. IBM has been updating the platform to embrace open technologies and improve developer productivity.

The web-based Navigator for i and IBM i Access Client Solutions were enhanced to simplify application management – for instance, ACS version 1.1.9.8 added quality-of-life improvements like keeping sessions alive, better Excel data transfer, and even support for new data types (e.g. Boolean).

For developers, the integration of VS Code (as noted earlier) and continued updates to RPG and COBOL compilers ensure that legacy code can be brought forward incrementally. IBM has provided tools to convert old RPG source to free-form and encourages modularizing code. Combined with support for open-source languages (Node.js, Python, Java, etc.) through PASE, IBM i applications can be modernized to include REST APIs, web interfaces, and even AI/ML integration.

Migration and Transformation Strategies Promoted by IBM

AI-Assisted Code Transformation

IBM’s 2025 strategy for IBM i modernization heavily emphasizes leveraging automation and AI to overcome legacy challenges. IBM recognizes that many IBM i shops face technical debt, aging codebases, and a shortage of RPG-skilled developers.

The company advocates a holistic modernization strategy that combines generative AI tools with careful planning. For example, Watsonx Code Assistant for i (discussed above) is a centerpiece of this strategy – it uses generative AI to analyze and explain old RPG code and will eventually help to automatically refactor it.

By deploying AI-driven assistants, organizations can accelerate code understanding, reduce the burden on senior developers, and gradually transform old code into a more modern form.

IBM’s approach is not to “rip-and-replace” core IBM i applications, but to incrementally modernize them: refactor monolithic programs, adopt modern DevOps practices, and extend existing apps with new capabilities.

The use of AI code assistants and automation is positioned as a way to significantly cut down effort in documentation, code conversion, and testing, thereby bridging the skills gap while preserving the business logic that IBM i systems reliably run on.

Gradual Migration with Minimal Downtime

In terms of infrastructure transformation, IBM promotes strategies that avoid business disruption. The IBM i Migrate While Active feature is a prime example of IBM’s recommended approach to platform migration.

Rather than requiring lengthy downtime for a system upgrade or cloud migration, Migrate While Active allows a live, phased migration where the source and target run in parallel until cutover. This reflects IBM’s broader philosophy: modernize in place where possible, and when moving to new environments (like cloud or new hardware), use tools that keep services running.

IBM also encourages hybrid cloud adoption for IBM i clients – for instance, using cloud-based sandboxes or DR systems as steppingstones – instead of a risky full replacement of IBM i assets. Many IBM i workloads can be transformed to a service-oriented architecture by exposing APIs or using integration middleware, all while the core transaction engine (IBM i) remains intact.

IBM’s Garage and Consulting teams often guide clients with this “evolutionary” modernization plan: first modernize the interfaces (UIs, APIs), then the code (refactor RPG, adopt microservices for new components), and finally consider infrastructure (move to cloud or hybrid deployment) – all enabled by the latest IBM tools and services.

2025 Customer Success Stories and Announcements

IBM’s official communications in 2025 highlight a growing number of IBM i modernization success stories:

New Offering Announcements

One of the marquee announcements was the launch of IBM’s Watsonx Code Assistant for i (May 2025), which garnered significant attention as an innovative way to modernize AS/400 applications with AI.

This announcement underscored IBM’s commitment to ongoing investment in the IBM i platform, framing it as a modern system that can participate in AI-driven development workflows.

Modernization Case Studies

IBM has also showcased tangible results from modernization initiatives. In one notable example, IBM cited a case study of rKube (an IBM partner), which piloted IBM’s AI Code Assistant technology to modernize a large legacy application.

Using Watsonx Code Assistant, rKube was able to automatically transform over half of a traditional WebSphere application’s code into a modern form with significantly reduced manual effort. This pilot demonstrated how AI-assisted refactoring can dramatically speed up modernization of enterprise applications.

While this particular case involved a WebSphere Java app, the underlying success is applicable to IBM i shops looking to modernize RPG or COBOL programs with AI support.

IBM i Client Journeys

Although IBM’s 2025 public case studies are often broad (covering AI, cloud, etc.), many involve core system modernization that includes IBM i.

For instance, IBM’s Finanz Informatik collaboration (announced May 2025) highlights hybrid cloud and automation to modernize banking systems – a sector where IBM i is prevalent. Likewise, IBM’s 2025 CEO and CIO studies reinforce that companies using IBM i are investing in API enablement, cloud integration, and AI on their platforms.

These stories consistently show successful outcomes such as reduced downtime, faster delivery of new features, extended application lifespan, and integration of IBM i apps into broader cloud ecosystems.

Conclusion

These advancements not only facilitate business agility and smarter development – they show IBM’s commitment to providing an agile, secure, and innovative platform fit for the modern technological landscape. By leveraging AI-driven tools and cloud-native architectures, enterprises can better position their IBM i environments as flexible, future-ready assets rather than legacy holdovers.

Looking ahead, innovation on the IBM i platform is likely to accelerate, using the momentum of advances in AI, data access, and improved cloud and hybrid capabilities. Organizations that invest in these initiatives today establish a strong foundation for future success and gain a cutting competitive edge.