Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has partnered with the University of Chicago under AIM for Scale to help low- and middle-income countries adopt AI-based weather forecasting technology. The initiative aims to build national meteorological services capable of delivering accurate forecasts once available only in advanced economies. As climate change increases extreme and unpredictable weather, AI models are transforming forecasting by making predictions faster, more precise, and affordable.
Training the First Cohort
Many governments in these countries still face challenges due to limited infrastructure and expertise. To address this, the program launched its first training in Abu Dhabi from September 22 to 26, with participants from Bangladesh, Chile, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. Future cohorts will expand to 25 additional countries, reaching 30 in total and benefiting millions of farmers. Participants receive both technical instruction and high-performance multi-GPU laptops to apply and sustain their skills.
Strengthening Food Security Through Global Collaboration
The program works closely with agriculture ministries to ensure forecasts meet practical needs such as predicting rainy seasons, planning irrigation, and scheduling labor. This feedback loop enhances both accuracy and agricultural decision-making. Global institutions including the World Meteorological Organization, Google DeepMind, Google Research, ECMWF, AfriClimate AI, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and Precision Development are also contributing. Together, these organizations aim to democratize access to world-class forecasting, allowing countries to develop services that rival advanced economies.
