Google DeepMind releases WeatherNext 3, its most accurate weather AI model

Google DeepMind

Research official + media 2 src. ~1 min

WeatherNext 3, announced September 3, trains on real-time geostationary satellite data and weather-station observations rather than only numerical weather prediction simulations, enabling hourly forecast refreshes at up to 5 km resolution — five times sharper than WeatherNext 2 — and precipitation CRPS gains of up to 60% in independent Brightband evaluations. It adds renewable-energy variables such as 100-meter wind speeds and solar radiation, and is rolling out across Search, Gemini, Maps, Earth Engine, and Google Cloud.

Why it matters

First top-tier weather model weaned off simulation-only training data; the added energy variables aim it squarely at grid operators, a market numerical forecasting has served poorly.

Importance: 3/5

Notable DeepMind applied-science release with independent evaluation gains

Sources