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Microsoft Expands AI Coding Reach with GitHub Copilot for Eclipse IDE

• By David Ramel
• March 4, 2025

Microsoft has launched a public preview of its AI-powered coding assistant, GitHub Copilot for Eclipse, further expanding its AI ecosystem into the widely used open-source Eclipse IDE. The move marks another step in Microsoft's push to integrate AI-assisted development across multiple platforms, including those traditionally outside its ecosystem.

"We are excited to announce the Public Preview of GitHub Copilot for Eclipse," Microsoft said in a statement. "As part of the broader GitHub Copilot family, which enhances productivity in various IDEs, this latest integration ensures that developers using Eclipse can benefit from AI-assisted coding like never before."

Eclipse, maintained by the Eclipse Foundation, is a leading IDE for Java development, though it supports multiple programming languages. The Copilot integration brings real-time AI-powered code completion, inline suggestions, and predictive coding capabilities, aimed at enhancing developer productivity.

The GitHub Copilot assistant for Eclipse will offer:

• Real-time code completions
• Next-word or "word-by-word" suggestions
• Developer-controlled acceptance or rejection of AI suggestions
• Automated coding enhancements

While the Copilot Chat feature is not yet available in this preview, Microsoft has indicated further updates will follow.

The Eclipse IDE joins a growing list of platforms now supporting GitHub Copilot, including:

• Visual Studio Code
• Visual Studio 2022
• JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, PhpStorm, Rider, etc.)
• Neovim
• Xcode
• Azure Data Studio

By adding Eclipse support, Microsoft is broadening its AI footprint into the open-source Java development ecosystem, an area where it competes with Oracle and other Java-focused vendors.

Microsoft's move reflects a broader trend of AI-driven software development, as major tech firms race to integrate machine learning and automation tools into developer workflows. While Copilot was initially tied to Microsoft's own Visual Studio ecosystem, its expansion into Eclipse, JetBrains IDEs, and Xcode suggests a wider industry push to integrate AI across diverse development environments.