The world continues to face its toughest software developer shortage, prompting a global movement towards AI-coding assistants to tackle the increasing gap. The International Data Corporation (IDC) has predicted a global shortfall of 4 million developers by 2025. The US Labor Department estimates that the global shortage of software engineers may reach 85.2 million by 2030, resulting in about $8.5 trillion in unrealised annual revenues. Between 66% and 90% of US employers struggle to find the skills they need, with tech positions being among the top 10 hardest roles to fill.
Additionally, research has shown that approximately 80% of software developers suffer from burnout1, with high workload cited as the leading cause – further highlighting the need for AI tools to reduce developers’ workload. The shortage of developers has led to a sharp 20-30% increase in developer salaries making development costs skyrocket and putting immense pressure on companies with recent research highlighting that 89% of US business decision-makers are concerned about the on-time delivery of software.
This is where AI-first automated code assistants like Locofy.ai offer a solution to this massive, fast-growing problem, by reducing development cost and time to market. According to a 2023 Stack Overflow Developer survey, 70% of all respondents are using or are planning to use AI tools in their development process this year.
In a significant stride for frontend web development, Singapore-headquartered Locofy.ai has announced the launch of their Large Design Models (LDMs) and a new product, Locofy Lightning, which uses their LDMs to provide a pioneering 1-click technology that converts Figma designs into web frontend code. Leveraging Locofy’s Large Design Models (LDMs) built in-house, Locofy Lightning will save developers up to 80% of the time it takes to code the user interface from scratch.
Speaking about Locofy.ai and its impact, Cameron Pak, Founder of USA-based Melos, says: “I’d say, Locofy is the ChatGPT equivalent for front-end interfaces in terms of ease of use and helpfulness. I think Locofy is positioned to be a game-changer for not only the low-code, no-code movement but also for those who are full-time developers, saving them time and money”. Similarly, Mark Zielinski, Chief Technology Officer at Canada-based Where is My Package said: “Locofy has saved us countless hours in our design-to-code workflow and helped us work more effectively”.
Developers and designers typically spend hundreds of hours turning web designs into production-grade code. A new app or feature can take weeks to design on popular design tools like Figma and AdobeXD, followed by months of frontend and backend development from scratch. With Figma becoming the darling of the design world, Adobe moved in 2022 to acquire the company for $20 billion but the merger was mutually abandoned last month. Figma, used by over a million teams to design their apps and web products has become increasingly popular among developers contributing to 30% of its active user base. As a Figma plugin, Locofy.ai aims to convert Figma designs into code with 1-click and automate close to 80% of the mundane time-consuming parts of frontend development, allowing developers to focus on the more complex business logic and bringing their ideas to market 2-3 times faster and cheaper.
With just 1-click, Locofy Lightning seamlessly translates Figma designs into plug-and-play code, revolutionizing the way development teams approach their work. At the heart of Locofy Lightning lies a technology stack built in house, particularly the use of Large Design Models (LDMs). Trained on a vast dataset comprising millions of designs, these LDMs dissect visual elements, optimize layouts, and enhance code structure.
“Our investment of over $1M in the development of Locofy Lightning underscores our dedication to pushing the boundaries of frontend development,” says Honey Mittal, Co-Founder & CEO of Locofy.ai. “This innovation has emerged out of a clear market need. AI is helping to lower the entry barrier to software development, and businesses around the world are looking for AI-driven, automated coding assistants that maintain stringent quality standards. Locofy Lightning is particularly advantageous for fast-moving startups and customer-focused enterprises, as it speeds up frontend development and empowers lean teams to deliver world-class outcomes.”
Honey Mittal concluded: “Like many first saw the potential of Large Language Models with the advent of chatbots like ChatGPT, at Locofy we provide the complete solution for design-to-code by building both the foundational Large Design Models and product to make them accessible, Locofy Lightning, and we’re proud to do it from Singapore.”
Locofy.ai made its entrance onto the tech scene in 2021. After a remarkable debut on Product Hunt with a clean sweep of all 7 awards on offer, and securing a series of investments totaling $7.5M from industry luminaries such as the CTO and co-founders of Dropbox, Ola, and esteemed funds like Accel and Northstar Ventures, Locofy.ai ran its free beta program for close to 2 years coupled with multiple rounds of user feedback. Based on developer feedback, code quality and ease of use emerged as the two topics that developers care about the most, prompting the introduction of Locofy Lightning.
Locofy Lightning integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, without disrupting established processes. The beta release for Figma to web frontend is available as of 16 January 2024, with a 1-click solution for mobile apps on the horizon.