AI code translation startup Code Metal reels in $125M at $1.25B valuation – News

Code Metal Inc., a startup with a platform that translates code between programming languages, has closed a $125 million investment.

The company disclosed in its Thursday funding announcement that it’s now valued at $1.25 billion. That’s up from $250 million in November. Salesforce Ventures led the raise with participation from Accel, B Capital, Smith Point Capital, J2 Ventures, Shield Capital, Overmatch, defense manufacturer RTX Corp. and others.

The code that powers connected devices is usually written in so-called low-level programming languages. Such languages enable developers to implement performance and power-efficiency optimizations that are difficult to implement with other technologies. However, that customizability comes at the expense of a steep learning curve. 

Code Metal says its code translation platform makes it easier to work with low-level languages. Developers can write the prototype version of a program in a relatively simple, high-level syntax such as Python and use Code Metal to translate it into a low-level language. That reduces the need to navigate complex low-level syntax details.

The platform also lends itself to other use cases.

Some low-level languages lack memory safety, a feature that mitigates certain RAM-related cybersecurity vulnerabilities. An industrial manufacturer could use Code Metal to switch a robot’s code base from a language that lacks memory safety to one that implements it. Furthermore, the platform can speed up the task of porting code between chips. Reducing the investment needed to adapt software to a new processor lowers the risk of silicon lock-in.

Code Metal translates software in phases. First, it analyzes an application’s code base to identify which component performs what task. It then generates a code translation plan. From there, a built-in artificial intelligence uses the plan and the data gleaned during the initial component analysis phase to rewrite the software in a new language.

There are many other AI tools on the market that can translate code between languages. According to Code Metal, one of its platform’s main differentiator is that it automatically fixes hallucination-related bugs.

The software identifies faulty code using a mathematical method called formal verification. The technique allows developers to map out all the possible states of an application and find ones that may cause a bug. Code Metal says that it can carry out reliability testing in compliance with the MC/DC standard, which is used to evaluate sensitive workloads such as flight control software.

The platform also automates other tasks. After translating an application, it checks whether the new code contains all the features found in the original software. Additionally, Code Metal equips the applications that it rewrites with instrumentation code capable of collecting reliability and performance data.

“AI can generate code at unprecedented speed, but in mission-critical environments, speed without proof is not enough; we are building the infrastructure that ensures software can be trusted before deployment,” said founder and chief executive Peter Morales.

The software maker’s customer base include Toshiba Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, RTX and other large industrial companies. It will use the new funding to further broaden the adoption of its software. It also plans to hire more engineers and speed up product development. 

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