The future of AI-powered software optimization (and how it can help your team)

Continuous Efficiency is a novel concept introduced by GitHub's Next and Sustainability teams, aimed at integrating sustainability into software development through AI-enabled automation. This approach, which merges Continuous AI and Green Software principles, seeks to promote digital sustainability by enhancing software performance, standardization, and code quality while reducing power and resource consumption. By utilizing modern Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic workflows, Continuous Efficiency enables declarative, intent-based rule authoring, semantic generalizability, and intelligent remediation, surpassing traditional methods like linting and static analysis. GitHub's experimental Agentic Workflows framework is a key part of this initiative, allowing developers to write workflows in natural language, which are then compiled into executable GitHub Actions. This method facilitates proactive, automated improvements to codebases, with early pilot projects demonstrating promising performance enhancements. Developers are encouraged to explore these workflows and contribute to the evolving practice of Continuous Efficiency, as GitHub plans to release further resources and opportunities for collaboration.