GitLab Inc., a comprehensive DevSecOps platform for software innovation, announces the launch of its latest major release, GitLab 16.

GitLab 16 brings to market an AI-powered DevSecOps platform with capabilities encompassing code suggestions, security testing and analysis, observability and proactive vulnerability detection.

In line with GitLab’s privacy-first approach, the new software ensures enterprises and highly-regulated organisations can remain confident their intellectual property stays within GitLab’s infrastructure.

New security features include improved centralised policy management, expanded compliance reports and controls, compliance dashboards, and default SLSA Level 3 attestations.

With its technology, GitLab says enterprises can start, scale, and secure their software supply chains, gain complete visibility into their threat landscape, and establish policies to aid compliance adherence to deliver secure software faster.

Additional AI-powered features include Suggested Reviewers, Explain This Code, Explain This Vulnerability and Value Stream Forecasting and upcoming features will include Refactor This Code and Resolve This Vulnerability. 

GitLab Dedicated, which is planned to be available this summer, is a single-tenant software as a service (SaaS) solution, providing organisations within highly regulated industries the benefits of an enterprise DevSecOps platform with a focus on data residency, isolation, and private networking.

Additionally, Value Stream Management allows customers to visualise end-to-end DevSecOps workstreams, manage software development processes, and gain insight into how digital transformation and technology investments deliver value and drive business results. 

GitLab’s Value Stream Analytics helps organisations visualise and manage the DevSecOps workflow from ideation to delivery, and the Value Stream Dashboard features an enterprise-wide view of DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) metrics, cycle times and other key metrics like critical vulnerabilities and deployment frequency. 

GitLab says the current and upcoming updates to GitLab 16 reflect the industry demand for AI integrated with DevSecOps workflows and the need for organisations to ship secure software faster.  

Functionalities released with GitLab 16 will help organisations leverage AI's power to deliver software efficiently without compromising security. 

Mark Portofe, Director of Platform Engineering at CARFAX, says: “Developers are under tremendous pressure to ship software faster than ever before to keep up with the speed of the market, and too often that leaves security as an afterthought.”

“GitLab’s DevSecOps platform proves that security and efficiency are not mutually exclusive by integrating security seamlessly throughout development workflows and enabling us to ship software faster."

“With the implementation of GitLab, we’ve seen a 33% decrease in vulnerabilities in less than a year, as well as a 20% year-over-year increase in deployments," says Portofe.

According to GitLab’s 7th annual Global DevSecOps Report, Security Without Sacrifices, 65% of developers are using artificial intelligence and machine learning in testing efforts or plan to in the next three years. 

The report also found that security, efficiency, and automation were the top benefits of a DevSecOps platform. 

Stephen O’Grady, Principal Analyst with RedMonk, says: “AI is poised to have a transformative impact on the technology landscape broadly, and DevOps is one of the categories that will most directly benefit.”

“Platforms that leverage AI will have the opportunity not only to improve the efficiency of software development workflows but to do so while simultaneously elevating organisation compliance and security standards.”

David DeSanto, Chief Product Officer at GitLab, also comments: "GitLab 16 delivers the most comprehensive enterprise DevSecOps platform in the market, with more AI-powered capabilities available to customers today than any other DevOps or DevSecOps platform."

“This significant milestone defines the next evolution of the AI-powered enterprise DevSecOps Platform, improving efficiency not just for developers but everyone in the organisation who contributes to delivering software."

“From providing more robust security and more reliable and scalable governance to enabling companies with a complete view of their technology value streams, GitLab helps customers accelerate their digital transformation initiatives through every step of the software development lifecycle." 

“This is why more than 50% of the Fortune 100 trust GitLab,” says DeSanto.