Nvidia says new AI weather forecasting model boosts speed, accuracy

Nvidia unveiled a new AI weather forecasting model it calls capable of making very fast forecasts and better estimating risks of extreme events.

Why it matters: Tech companies are moving deeper into AI-based models at a time when climate change is worsening some risks and harms.

Driving the news: Nvidia said its new FourCastNet 3 can generate a 15-day global forecast in just 64 seconds.

Beyond speed, the firm published research stating it provides more accurate forecasts of high-impact events like extreme heat waves.

The bottom line: AI holds the promise of providing more accuracy than traditional, physics-based practices.

"AI changes the game in so many ways — how we estimate the state of the atmosphere, how we launch forecasts from that state, how we sidestep physics to make better forecasts, how we build climate simulations we couldn't dream of before," Mike Pritchard, Nvidia's head of climate simulation, said in a video alongside the launch.