Weather Forecasts Within 1km: Hsinchu Meteorological Technology Park to Open by End of 2028

To continuously improve weather forecasting, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Central Weather Administration (CWA) is planning to build the Hsinchu Meteorological Technology Park. The design tender is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with operations slated to begin by the end of 2028. The facility will house 8th and 9th generation supercomputers, aiming to refine forecast accuracy to within 1 kilometer. Premier Cho Jung-tai visited the CWA and its supercomputer server room today along with Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai. CWA Director-General Lu Kuo-chen stated in his briefing that to implement AI in weather forecasting, the CWA proposed a plan in 2023 to strengthen GPU computing power, aiming to improve forecasts from the current 3km to 1km, enabling village-level precision. Lu explained that a nine-year plan, divided into three-year phases, has been launched to install 7th to 9th generation high-speed computers. The 7th generation is currently being procured for installation at the CWA next year. Due to space constraints, the 8th and 9th generation computers are planned for the Hsinchu Meteorological Technology Park, which will go to tender at the end of this year. According to the CWA, the park is scheduled to begin construction in January next year, open by the end of 2028, and install the 8th generation computer in January 2029. Premier Cho stated that in response to the AI wave, the government is promoting the "New Ten AI Construction" plan to encourage application across all industries, shifting Taiwan from hardware manufacturing to software design. To foster talent, the "Super Meteorologist AI Chasing Wind Project" will launch in October this year, allowing young people to gain experience in advanced countries. Premier Cho urged the acceleration of the Hsinchu Meteorological Technology Park project, tasking the CWA with delivering fast and accurate forecasts and enhancing international information exchange.