IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced the global availability of IBM Bob, an AI development platform designed for enterprise software teams. The platform operates across the full software development lifecycle, from planning and coding to testing and deployment.

IBM Bob includes AI-driven orchestration across development stages, coordinating specialized agents and workflows. The platform features security controls, including prompt normalization and real-time policy enforcement, built into the development process. It also provides audit trails through its CLI interface, creating documentation of AI-generated processes.

The platform uses multiple AI models, including Anthropic Claude, Mistral open source models, and IBM Granite, routing tasks based on accuracy requirements and cost considerations. Developers can configure approval checkpoints within their existing workflows.

"IBM Bob is how enterprises can move at AI speed without sacrificing the governance and security needs their businesses require," said Dinesh Nirmal, Senior Vice President of IBM Software.

IBM reports that Bob has been used by more than 80,000 IBM employees since its internal launch in June. The company states that surveyed users reported an average productivity gain of 45% across modernization and development tasks. IBM's Instana team reported a 70% reduction in time spent on selected tasks, while the Maximo developer team achieved an estimated 69% time savings on code generation tasks.

External customers have implemented the platform for various projects. Ernst & Young is using Bob for modernizing their global tax platform. Blue Pearl completed a Java upgrade project in three days using Bob, compared to a typical 30-day timeline. APIS IT used the platform to modernize government systems, reporting faster architecture analysis and documentation.

IBM Bob is available as a Software-as-a-Service offering with a 30-day trial period. The company plans to offer on-premises deployment for organizations with specific data residency requirements.