China launches first fully autonomous weather AI forecasting system

China has deployed its first fully autonomous weather AI forecasting system, 'Fengqing,' which is now operational across the country. Developed by the National Meteorological Center in collaboration with multiple universities and research institutes, the system leverages the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin's AI4S supercomputing cluster. It is the first system in China to achieve full control over data, models, and computing power, marking a significant advancement in meteorological AI technology. Fengqing uses a visual Transformer architecture combined with meteorological physics constraints to improve the accuracy of forecasts for extreme weather events such as typhoons and heavy rainfall. The system can predict weather conditions up to 11 days in advance, outperforming the latest AI-based forecasting systems from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in several key metrics. It also enables rapid global weather simulations, enhancing the ability to predict long-term weather trends and extreme events. The system will support various sectors including disaster prevention, transportation, energy management, and public services. Tianjin's continued investment in supercomputing and AI has enabled this breakthrough, which is expected to strengthen China's capabilities in meteorological innovation and global weather forecasting.