Diffblue secures GBP £1m Innovate UK grant for AI project

Diffblue has secured a GBP £1 million grant from Innovate UK to enhance its AI-driven software engineering solutions.

Diffblue, based in Oxford, has been awarded substantial funding under the ITEA project Generative AI for the Software Development Life Cycle (GENIUS). The project supports innovations that transform manual-intensive software development tasks using generative AI. GENIUS is an international initiative that includes various partners such as Siemens, Fraunhofer, Philips, Vaadin, and Ontario Tech University.

Professor Peter Schrammel, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Diffblue, expressed enthusiasm about the grant. He stated, "We are excited to receive this grant from Innovate UK and to work with our partners on the GENIUS project. AI is rapidly changing the way software is developed, and at Diffblue, we are channeling this shift to bring scalable development solutions to enterprises so they can innovate with greater speed and confidence."

Diffblue collaborates with King's College London, British Telecom (BT), GoCodeGreen, and other European entities to create AI solutions that address the complexity and time consumption inherent in software engineering tasks. The company aims to automate software testing, code generation, and maintenance, with an eye to enhancing system performance and reducing development errors.

Unlike traditional tools that rely on Large Language Models (LLMs), Diffblue employs reinforcement learning in conjunction with code execution. This combination enables Diffblue to produce accurate outputs while avoiding errors commonly attributed to the limitations of conventional AI methods. Diffblue's foremost product, Diffblue Cover, ensures that every generated unit test relates accurately to actual code, serves a functional purpose, and maintains a high level of test coverage.

The collaboration in the GENIUS initiative reinforces efforts to automate the software development lifecycle and reduce reliance on manual testing processes. The emphasis on innovation through partnerships reflects a broader strategy to empower businesses to scale by employing AI-driven methodologies and software engineering solutions.

The grant supports Diffblue's wider mission to facilitate greater efficiency in software development. The project's ultimate aim is to free engineering teams from repetitive tasks, allowing them to concentrate on innovation and strategic objectives.