MongoDB expands AI tools & launches AMP to speed modernisation
MongoDB has announced the introduction of its Search and Vector Search capabilities to its Community Edition and Enterprise Server, marking a notable change for developers creating AI-enabled applications in self-managed environments.
Previously, these features were only accessible via MongoDB Atlas, the cloud-hosted service, but the public preview now extends them to on-premises and hybrid deployments, allowing a broader range of users to leverage integrated search and semantic retrieval tools natively within MongoDB clusters.
Expanded access
The latest update allows developers to test and build applications using features such as retrieval augmented generation (RAG) systems, hybrid search, and AI agents with persistent memory on their local or private infrastructure. External parties including LangChain, LlamaIndex, and ByteDance's Volcano Engine Cloud have validated and tested the new capabilities in MongoDB Community Edition, according to the company.
Addressing technical debt
The company has also announced the launch of MongoDB AMP, an Application Modernization Platform designed to simplify and accelerate the transformation of legacy systems. MongoDB AMP uses a combination of an AI-powered platform, a standardised delivery framework, and guidance from dedicated engineers to help enterprises update existing applications to modern, scalable architectures.
Legacy applications can incur substantial maintenance and operational costs while posing adaptation challenges. According to the Consortium for Information & Software Quality, technical debt related to poor software quality, failures, and related issues in the US alone totals nearly USD $4 trillion annually.
Rachel Stephens, Research Director at RedMonk, commented on the mounting challenge posed by ageing IT systems. She said:
Enterprises are increasingly grappling with the burden of complex legacy applications, constrained by rigid data foundations and outdated architectures that stifle innovation. While traditionally recognized for its database capabilities, MongoDB's strategic expansion into an AI-powered Application Modernization Platform highlights a critical understanding: the data layer remains an indispensable foundation for truly modern, scalable services. AMP empowers organizations to go beyond incremental 'lift and shift' migrations, instead focusing on full-stack transformation from the data up.
The platform aims to reduce the need for expensive, protracted consulting projects, which often focus on moving applications between similar relational databases without addressing underlying limitations. MongoDB said AMP users have witnessed code transformation processes improved by tenfold and witnessed overall modernisation timelines reduced by two to three times.
Vinod Bagal, Senior Vice President, Modernization and Transformation at MongoDB, discussed this acceleration. He stated:
Research shows that too many organizations spend time and budget on low-value, high-effort work simply to keep the lights on - which impacts their ability to keep pace with competitors. MongoDB AMP offers enterprises a better approach to modernization. It helps companies move from traditional to transformative with remarkable speed and quality, opening doors to innovation and cost savings.
Real-world examples
The development of MongoDB AMP involved collaboration with various clients, including those in regulated industries. Australia's Bendigo Bank utilised AMP to transition a core banking application from a relational database to MongoDB Atlas, reducing migration development time by 90%. With AI tooling, test case runtimes dropped from more than 80 hours to five minutes.
Swiss private bank Lombard Odier completed a migration of key applications from SQL to MongoDB, achieving code migration speeds up to 60 times faster and reducing regression test durations from three days to three hours. These gains enabled developers to dedicate more effort to new features and client services.
IntellectAI, a large enterprise fintech firm, also partnered with MongoDB to modernise components of its Wealth Management platform. Implementation led to better performance and faster development cycles, with the updated system now supporting enhanced client onboarding and enabling generative AI use cases.
Deepak Dastrala, Chief Technology Officer at IntellectAI, highlighted the impact of modernisation through MongoDB:
At IntellectAI, we are redefining how enterprises unlock value with AI. Modernizing with MongoDB has transformed how we deliver value to our customers, freeing us from bottlenecks and accelerating the realization of our AI vision. One of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, with trillions under management, relies on our flagship enterprise AI platform, Purple Fabric (powered by MongoDB) to support real-time investment decisions. Together, IntellectAI and MongoDB are enabling clients to turn AI vision into measurable business impact.
MongoDB AMP is now generally available to enterprises seeking assistance with legacy system modernisation and integration of AI capabilities within their application estates.
