The Executive Yuan has approved the Central Weather Administration’s (CWA) plan to upgrade a weather observation station in Hsinchu County into the Hsinchu Meteorology Science Park, which would include a server room for a supercomputer to facilitate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for weather forecasting.
The use of AI could enable the meteorology agency to provide more precise weather forecasts and develop more weather-related applications, but the CWA currently does not have sufficient computing power to run a supercomputer or the space to build a server room for it, CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-cheng (呂國臣) said.
A supercomputer server room must be able to carry 2 tonnes per square meter, Lu said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The CWA would build the supercomputer in Hsinchu, because the county has high-quality and high-speed Internet, he said.
Data, computing power and talent are three main elements that the CWA would need to be able to use AI in weather forecasting, he said.
“We have weather data accumulated over the past 100 years, but we need computing power to train large-scale weather forecast models and integrate them with existing models. We are working with the National Science and Technology Council and Nvidia Corp to learn new ways to develop high-resolution forecast models using AI,” he said.
The plan, which is named “Construction Project of High-Speed Computer for Weather Forecast,” has been approved by the Executive Yuan, with construction scheduled to be completed in 2027, Lu said.
The use of AI would increase the accuracy of global weather forecast models by 6 percent and projected paths for typhoons within 120 hours by 12 percent, Lu said.
The percentage of data processed through graphic processing units would gradually expand from 30 percent to 40 percent and 60 percent, CWA Remote Sensing Division deputy director Chang Bau-liang (張保亮) said.
The training time would be 1,000 to 1,500 times faster if the CWA uses AI to train computers to deep-learn atmospheric models, Chang said, adding that weather forecast results could be obtained within a few minutes.
Separately, the CWA said it would offer wind force forecasts for coastal areas this summer when briefing mayors and county commissioners about potential typhoons.
The administration said it would also bolster the monitoring of high-intensity short duration rainfall by installing weather radar systems in Yunlin and Yilan counties.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS