IBM says new artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model offers insights beyond forecasting for scientists, developers, and businesses to better understand and analyze weather and climate data.
IBM in Armonk, N.Y. announced the launch of a new open-source AI foundation model designed for various weather and climate applications. Developed in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the model aims to provide a flexible and scalable solution for addressing short-term weather challenges and long-term climate projections.
The new model, detailed in a paper titled “Prithvi WxC: Foundation Model for Weather and Climate,” is capable of tackling a wider range of applications than existing weather AI models. It can produce localized forecasts based on local observations, predict severe weather patterns, and enhance the resolution of global climate simulations.
Pre-trained on 40 years of Earth observation data from NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), the foundation model features a unique architecture that allows it to be fine-tuned for different scales: global, regional, and local.
The model is available for download on Hugging Face, along with two specialized versions for specific applications.
