Ada Rises Again: Legacy Language Cracks TIOBE Top 10 Amid Renewed Demand for Reliability
July 14, 2025
Ada, a programming language developed in the late 1970s, has made a surprising return to the spotlight, entering the top 10 of the TIOBE Index for July 2025. This unexpected surge has sparked debate across the developer community about whether Ada’s resurgence is a statistical anomaly or a sign of deeper industry shifts.
TIOBE CEO Paul Jansen has added fuel to the conversation, noting that while modern languages like Python and Java continue to dominate, classic languages such as Ada, Fortran, and Visual Basic are quietly regaining ground. Jansen believes Ada stands out among them, especially in today’s security-conscious landscape. Designed for safety-critical systems, Ada is now seeing renewed interest in sectors like aerospace and automotive, where reliability is paramount. Even Nvidia is reportedly experimenting with it.
Skeptics question the TIOBE Index's methodology, which relies on search engine queries, and suggest the spike could be influenced by unrelated searches for the Cardano cryptocurrency (ADA). But others point to rising attendance at Ada developer events and renewed adoption in critical industries as evidence that the comeback is real.
Once sidelined due to costly tooling and a shrinking talent pool, Ada is now benefiting from a renewed appreciation for robust, secure software. Whether this momentum will last remains to be seen, but for now, Ada is firmly back in the conversation.
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