European enterprises are facing a new challenge as they modernize software systems that were built long before generative AI became part of the technology roadmap.
Traditional modernization programs often focus on rewriting applications, moving workloads to the cloud or reducing technical debt. AI is now adding another dimension, with companies looking to make those same systems more scalable, automated and ready to support intelligent applications.
The shift is significant because legacy environments remain deeply embedded in enterprise operations. Modernization therefore needs to balance the need for new architectures with the risk of disrupting systems that businesses still depend on.
AI can change that equation by helping engineering teams analyze existing code, automate parts of migration and testing, and accelerate decisions around architecture. The objective is not simply to replace legacy technology, but to create an environment that can support continuous modernization.
Top AI modernization companies in Europe
Ness Digital Engineering combines AI, software engineering and modernization through its AI Enabled Modernization offering. The company uses AI driven acceleration frameworks and intelligent automation to analyze legacy environments, support architectural decisions and move applications toward scalable, cloud native and AI ready architectures.
Its Intelligent Engineering portfolio is powered in part by ATONIS, an AI enabled engineering platform that spans the software development lifecycle. Ness says its approach can reduce manual engineering effort by up to 50% and accelerate updates to existing code by up to 70%.
Ness also combines modernization with cloud and data engineering capabilities, including partnerships across AWS, Azure, Snowflake and Databricks. That allows modernization programs to address applications, data and infrastructure together rather than treating legacy transformation as an isolated software project.
