IBM releases updates to Bob platform with multi-agent and cost tools

IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced updates to IBM Bob, its agentic software development platform, including new multi-agent capabilities, built-in AI cost and usage analytics, and pre-built workflows for modernizing enterprise systems.

The updates include Bobalytics, a new feature that allows users to monitor AI consumption, allocate resources, and maintain cost oversight. The platform now supports parallel, model-native tool calling, enabling models to request and run multiple tools in a single turn. IBM also added subagents that handle complex tasks in isolated contexts to manage context window size and associated costs.

IBM introduced three premium packages targeting legacy system modernization. The IBM Z package covers COBOL and PL/I modernization along with JCL analysis for mainframe environments. The IBM i package adds remote file system integration and IBM i-specific tools. The Java Modernization package includes AI-guided workflows for migration to Java 25, large-scale refactoring, and dependency analysis.

Jack Henry, a financial services technology provider, said its developers used IBM Bob to accelerate RPG development workflows. "Our developers are able to accelerate RPG development workflows, improve code quality, and gain deeper insights into decades of accumulated system knowledge while gaining efficiency in enhancement efforts," said Kevin Sligar, Chief Technical Architect at Jack Henry.

Blue Pearl, a cloud solutions and consulting company, said a legacy modernization project originally projected to take nine months with 14 engineers was completed in three days using IBM Bob. "The most powerful outcome wasn't the speed – it was the combination of operational efficiency, cost optimization, and real-world results we could trust and build on," said Saireshan Govender, Group CEO of Blue Pearl.

Neel Sundaresan, GM of Automation and AI at IBM, said the platform is "an end-to-end agentic development partner that works inside any system development teams already use, with the governance, security, and cost controls enterprises require."

According to a 2026 GitLab report cited by IBM, 85% of DevSecOps professionals surveyed said AI has shifted the bottleneck in software development from writing code to reviewing and validating it. The latest version of IBM Bob is available for download.

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