Projects

Bologna Big Code Lab (BBC Lab)

A universal, accessible library of all code ever written, to usher in a new digital era

Funding: IFAB call for projects

Enabling technology: Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning

Sustainable Development Goals

The “Big Code Lab” project, funded by IFAB and born out of a collaboration between ENEA’s Bologna Research Center and INRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique) in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France, aims to create a replica — known in the field as a “mirror” — of the world’s code archive, called “Software Heritage,” built by INRIA. This will give Italy, the Emilia-Romagna Region, and researchers and professionals in the field access to an ever-evolving copy of all the code libraries deposited in the archive to date: an extremely large volume of data and information which, in strictly numerical terms, amounts to more than 11 billion files spanning around 168 million projects.

Objectives

Contributing to the creation of a global archive of the code used to date, through the cataloguing and preservation of this vast body of human knowledge, which will continue to grow exponentially day by day (UNESCO’s involvement in the project is a significant sign of this).

Making this shared archive useful, providing code libraries to the software industry and to anyone interested, with a view to improving, evolving, and driving innovation across the entire digital sector and all its applications on society.

Initial challenge

The digital revolution is all around us, constantly evolving: using technology and web infrastructure is a daily occurrence for most people on the planet. Every digital device — from the simplest to the most complex, from the smartphone in our pocket to supercomputers — runs on a shared language: code. It is code that instructs machines, that makes them work, that makes it possible for machines to have effects on us, for us, and within the society we live in. It is the code behind the social interactions triggered by a “Like” on social media, behind the Spotify algorithm that suggests songs we’re likely to enjoy; it is what runs the programs on our computers, what allows our robot vacuum cleaner to navigate our homes, what enables an accurate diagnosis of a disease, what makes it possible for a car to drive itself, or for people to travel into space. Although seemingly immaterial at first glance, code has a continuous, concrete, and tangible impact on our lives.

Solution

The existence of Software Heritage, and the ability to share it, opens up endless opportunities for the entire software engineering field: starting from the code libraries already in the archive, it becomes possible to speed up the creation of further code — this can make a particular difference in the branch of Big Code that studies languages through the valuable work of neural networks.

In other words, the “Big Code Lab” project aims to turn the sharing of a global code archive — which already carries enormous value in terms of preserving human knowledge — into a key catalyst for the evolution and innovation of everything we know as “digital”: ultimately, it seeks to seize the huge opportunity represented by the creation of Software Heritage to improve and streamline the countless practical applications of software in people’s lives and within society.

Benefits

The Bologna “mirror,” with its unique dataset of source code, will provide the opportunity to launch research and explore areas such as:

Extracting knowledge from large source code databases using AI and ML to improve software production (automatic program development, correctness, security, etc.);
Developing suitable infrastructure to design, implement, and manage enormous repositories — multi-cloud systems using a set of locally available architectures;
Training activities related to software development and computational thinking, including interdisciplinary topics to broaden and consolidate knowledge of “Big Code” and of advanced techniques for implementing Big Data archives;
Involving young researchers in a relatively new field of study (Big Code) with major development opportunities and strong strategic value for the regional economy and for skilled job placement, giving them access to European-level computing infrastructure and data archives;
Addressing the challenge of “digital heritage” by experimenting with new methods for organizing, archiving, and indexing digital material and making it “resilient”;
Advancing Open Science (Open Source–Data–Access–Methodology–Peer Review–Educational resources);
Enhancing the value of the Software Heritage mirror within the Bologna Tecnopolo, building around it a high-quality research environment that fosters prestigious collaborations (SH, INRIA, UNESCO), as well as a bridge to the local industrial fabric, engaging all technology transfer organizations and companies.

IFAB’s role

IFAB took part in the project as a funding body, selecting it as part of its investment lines in research, innovation, and technology transfer. IFAB’s contribution consisted of recognizing the project’s scientific and practical value and providing financial support, making it possible to carry out the research activities conducted by the technical partners. This involvement confirms IFAB’s mission as an accelerator of high-impact initiatives for the local area and productive system.