Google is improving the weather forecasts you see in the Pixel Weather app, Google Search, and in other locations. The Alphabet subsidiary has introduced WeatherNext 2, a weather forecasting model powered by-what else-AI. Google says that this forecasting model delivers faster and more accurate forecasts. How much faster? Google says that this "most advanced and efficient forecasting model" will generate weather forecasts eight times faster and generates four six-hour weather forecasts daily, with future predictions going out as long as 15 days.
WeatherNext 2 outperforms WeatherNext 1 when forecasting 99% of variables such as wind speed and direction, temperature, precipitation, pressure, and humidity. Using a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), which is a specialty Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chip designed by Google to accelerate machine learning and AI workloads, a weather forecast can be made in less than a minute. Compare that to the hour the same forecast would take if it were made on a Supercomputer using models based on physics.
WeatherNext 2 uses a new AI modeling approach called a Functional Generative Network (FGN) to replace the Graph Neural Network (GNN) and Conditional Diffusion model used in WeatherNext 1. Models of the latter are still available to use for reference and research purposes. WeatherNext 2 is being pushed out to developers, researchers, and users. It can power updated weather forecasts for the Pixel Weather app (available via the Play Store), from the Gemini app for Android, and the Weather API powering the Google Maps platform.
In the next few weeks, WeatherNext 2 will also take over the weather forecasting job for Google Maps. So, if you notice an improvement in the quality of the forecasts you see from the Pixel Weather app, Google Maps, the Pixel Weather app and Google Search, it could be due to the improvements made by Google in the WeatherNext 2 forecasting model.
How Google uses AI to forecast the weather. | Image credit-Google
WeatherNext 2 understands better the many different variables that make up a weather forecast. These variables, such as temperature, wind, and pressure are related and these relationships can be captured by equations. AI weather forecasting doesn't rely on crunching data using Supercomputers. Instead, with AI, users are looking for patterns that would be expected to repeat.
With WeatherNext 2, in just one minute you could have 15 days of forecasts generated in just one minute. Overall, hundreds and thousands of forecasts can be quickly created.
Travel Easy with Nomad eSIM – 25% Off
25% off eSIM data-only plans & global coverage - enter code IPHONE25, sign up required
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: