GitHub Copilot has been updated with app modernization features for Java and .NET applications. The news was announced by Microsoft at  last month's Migrate and Modernize Summit, alongside new agentic capabilities in Azure Migrate and a new tool called Azure Accelerate.

Copilot is GitHub's AI-based code helper system. It was originally based on OpenAI's Codex, but recently added multi-model support meaning developers can select from multiple models, including Anthropic Claude Sonnet, Google Gemini Pro, OpenAI GPT, and Gemini 2.0 Flash. Azure Migrate is a cloud migration tool that helps with cloud application, database, and software migration. 

The upgrade to GitHub Copilot provides automated .NET and Java upgrades so developers get an automated upgrade their apps to use the latest versions of .NET and Java. The feature handles breaking changes and dependency updates using AI agents that analyze a codebase, detect breaking changes, suggest safe migration paths, and apply build fixes (including dependency updates and security vulnerability checks.) App modernization for Java is now generally available, with .NET in public preview. 

The announcement of the new features in GitHub Copilot was made, at the Migrate and Modernize Summit, at the same time as an update to Azure Migrate that adds new agentic AI features. The update includes a preview of "AI-powered guidance", which automates key tasks. It also includes a preview of connected workflows with GitHub Copilot, which lets developers using Azure Migrate and GitHub Copilot collaborate. The feature links directly to GitHub Copilot's app modernization tools. There's also a feature that reports on dependencies and resource usage. Azure Migrate also adds support  for apps that use PostgreSQL and popular Linux distributions. 

The third part of the announcement at the summit was Azure Accelerate, a program that Microsoft hopes will increase the levels of cloud and AI adoption by customers. Accelerate combines elements from earlier Microsoft programs including Azure Migrate and Modernise and Azure Innovate.  Accelerate connects Microsoft Azure customers with Microsoft experts from a department called the "Cloud Accelerate Factory", where Microsoft engineers work alongside a customer's team or partners to provide zero-cost deployment support for over 30 Azure services. Microsoft partners will also be available for hands-on deployment, migration and optimization services for customers. 

Microsoft says Accelerate can unlock funding for eligible projects via partner funding and Azure credits. Microsoft-accredited partners, with the customer's agreement, can nominate customer deals for funding through Microsoft's Partner Center. While the information on the website doesn't give specifics, it seems that this is a way for Microsoft to get customers to move to new services without having to make a large upfront payment, then recoup the money later on through increased use of their services. 

GitHub Copilot App for Java is available now. 

More Information

GitHub Copilot app modernization – upgrade for Java extension

Azure Migrate

Azure Accelerate

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