IBM on 14th November 2019 said that it is ready to launch a new weather forecasting system that will have the capability to forecast the conditions up to 12 hours in advance. It further added that this system will cover the globe that has not yet experienced such detailed data. The demand for very accurate and faster weather forecasts has increased as climate change increases extreme conditions and changing renewable energy goes into the grid. The system is named as “IBM GRAF”. GRAF stands for the “Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System”. It will run on a supercomputer and will provide more detailed and higher quality forecasts. Such a forecasting system was only available in Japan, the United States, and a few West European countries. The company said: “IBM's new day-ahead forecasting system will provide data to cover the world, including Asia, Africa, and South America, some of the regions most vulnerable to the effects of climate change”. Current global weather models cover 10 to 15 kilometers/ sq. and are updated every six to 12 hours. The IBM system predicts up to 3 km/ sq and is updated hourly. Head of The Weather Company- Cameron Clayton, a subsidiary of IBM said: "The enhanced forecasts could be revolutionary for some areas of the world, such as for a rural farmer in India or Kenya". He further added, "If you've never before had access to high-resolution weather data but could now anticipate thunderstorms before they approach your fields, you can better plan for planting or harvesting".
