TU Delft and JetBrains are launching new ICAI lab AI for Software Engineering

News - 12 October 2023 - Webredactie Communication

How can we engineer better software by using artificial intelligence (AI)? TU Delft and JetBrains are joining their knowledge and expertise on AI and software development in the new AI for Software Engineering Lab (AI4SE). The goal of the collaboration is to develop a deep understanding of how novel AI technologies can strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of software engineering processes.

The emergence of advanced AI-driven tools has led to a wide range of opportunities and transformations in software engineering practices and education. Recognizing this potential, JetBrains and Delft University of Technology have collaborated to establish the AI for Software Engineering Lab (AI4SE). Together, they are committed to conducting cutting-edge research on the impact and utilisation of AI methodologies in software engineering. Focus areas include software development, testing, and programming education. The objective of AI4SE is to employ and advance AI techniques to revolutionise software development tools and boost software developer productivity. A key mechanism will be generative AI and the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for coding. The lab will be run by a joint team of researchers at JetBrains and TU Delft, including Prof. Dr. Arie van Deursen and Dr. Maliheh Izadi from TU Delft, as well as Dr. Vladimir Kovalenko and Dr. Pouria Derakhshanfar from JetBrains.

A core value of JetBrains is to provide efficient solutions for complex tasks and problems through cutting-edge technology. The new AI4SE lab allows us to join forces with top scientists to make the world a better place by combining our experience in building top-notch software engineering tools with TU Delft’s world-class expertise in AI.

Andrey Ivanov, SVP of Investments, Research, and Education at JetBrains

The AI4SE lab is a big new chapter for us at JetBrains Research. We are excited to be working shoulder to shoulder with the talented scientists and students of TU Delft. We are looking forward to making AI4SE a fruitful collaboration with long-term impact far beyond JetBrains and the research community.

Dr. Vladimir Kovalenko, Head of the ICTL Research Lab at JetBrains.

5 Year collaboration

The AI4SE lab is a five year collaboration between Delft University of Technology and JetBrains. With its 2,000 employees, JetBrains is a leading provider of essential tools for software developers and teams, including IntelliJ IDEA. Its tools are used across the world by organisations such as Google and NASA. Researchers, advisors, 5 PhD students at TU Delft and 5 at JetBrains will work together on 5 tracks. These tracks are: Code Generation for Validation / Code Validation Through Generation, LLM Adaptation and Optimisation, Interactive and Aligned IDEs, Utilising Runtime Information to Improve Development Processes, and Intelligent Teaching Assistant in Programming Education.
More information about the tracks.

As a software engineering researcher and educator, I am thrilled about the new partnership between TU Delft and JetBrains. The software development tools produced by JetBrains are loved and used by software engineers across the globe. Within the AI4SE lab, TU Delft and JetBrains will join forces to take full advantage of the latest developments in AI to revolutionise software development.

Prof. dr. Arie van Deursen, Head of the Software Technology department at the faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science at TU Delft

10th ICAI lab for TU Delft

AI4SE is an ICAI lab (Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence); a research collaboration between industry, government or non-profit partners, and knowledge institutes. ICAI labs must meet requirements for data, expertise and capacity. They are expected to operationalise outcomes for the real world. AI4SE is the 10th ICAI lab in which the TU Delft collaborates with partners and other knowledge institutes. All TU Delft ICAI labs can be found here: https://icai.ai/delft/

There are 5 open PhD position at the new AI4SE Lab, one for each track. The positions are based at TU Delft. More information can be found here.

AI, data and digitalisation at TU Delft

At Delft University of Technology, we believe that AI technology is vital to create a more sustainable, safer and healthier future. We research, design and engineer AI technology and study its application in society. AI technology plays a key role in each of our eight faculties and is an integral part of the education of our students. Through AI education, research and innovation we create impact for a better society. Visit our website to find out what is happening in research, education and innovation in AI, Data & Digitalisation: www.tudelft.nl/ai

More about AI at TU Delft

At Delft University of Technology, we believe that AI technology is vital to create a more sustainable, safer and healthier future. We research, design and engineer AI technology and study its application in society. AI technology plays a key role in each of our eight faculties and is an integral part of the education of our students. Through AI education, research and innovation we create impact for a better society. Visit our website to find out what is happening in AI research, education and innovation in AI, Data & Digitalisation: www.tudelft.nl/ai