“We could do in two years with AI models what usually takes ten years of science” (F.Pappenberger, ECMWF)

“We were able to do in two years with AI models what usually takes ten years of science,” stated Florian Pappenberger, Director-General of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), on 12 October 2026.

Speaking to News Tank at Brussels Climate Week, Pappenberger reflected on the operational rollout of ECMWF’s AI-based forecasting system (AIFS), which now runs four times a day. ECMWF issues forecasts from three days to months and years ahead, operates a high-performance computing facility, and runs the Copernicus programmes and Destination Earth for the European Commission.

Asked about the energy and water footprint of AI, Pappenberger responds: “An AI model for weather forecasting is tiny compared with one used for a chatbot. [...] We had a supercomputer long before…