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Microsoft Adds AI-Powered Tools to Accelerate App Migration and Modernization

• By John K. Waters
• September 24, 2025

Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled new agentic AI features aimed at speeding up application migration and modernization, highlighting updates to GitHub Copilot, Azure Migrate, and database migration services.

At its Migrate and Modernize Summit, the company announced the general availability of GitHub Copilot app modernization for Java, with .NET support in public preview. The feature automates upgrades by scanning codebases, detecting breaking changes, suggesting safe migration paths, and applying fixes, including dependency and security updates.

Microsoft said its Teams organization used the tool to update projects to .NET 8 in hours instead of months, while Ford China cut modernization time by 70% using the Java features.

Azure Migrate also introduced new agentic AI capabilities, including automated guidance, integration with GitHub Copilot for connected workflows, default application-awareness for dependency mapping, and expanded support for databases and Linux distributions. These features are currently in preview.

For databases, Microsoft launched a public preview of Azure Migrate Discovery and Assessment for PostgreSQL, designed to streamline migrations from on-premises systems and other cloud providers to Azure Database for PostgreSQL.

The company also announced Azure Accelerate, a program that combines expert support and financial incentives for organizations modernizing their applications and infrastructure on Azure. Microsoft said Thomson Reuters used the initiative to migrate over 500TB of data and modernize core systems.

According to Microsoft, more than a third of enterprise application portfolios require modernization, a figure expected to remain high over the next three years.