In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often struggle: They can't fully capture critical small-scale processes, like thunderstorms or towering tropical clouds, because of computational limits.
To capture these features, scientists run ultra-high-resolution simulations called cloud-resolving models (CRMs). These simulations track how clouds form and evolve-but they're so expensive, running one for a decade of global climate forecasts is practically impossible.
What if we could distill the wisdom of these detailed simulations into a machine learning model that runs tens to hundreds of times faster, without giving up fidelity?
That's the promise of ClimSim-Online, a reproducible framework for developing and deploying hybrid physics-machine learning climate models at scale. This framework was produced by NVIDIA Earth 2 and a consortium of international climate modelers from across government and academia. And it was initiated and supported by a Columbia University-based, National Science Foundation-funded science and technology center that is exploring the future of AI-powered climate simulation technology.
From terabytes to turnkey: training AI to emulate complex nested climate physics ClimSim-Online builds on the award-winning ClimSim dataset, introduced at NeurIPS 2023. The dataset is served on the ClimSim Hugging Face repository. This dataset was created using the Energy Exascale Earth System Model-Multiscale Modeling Framework (E3SM-MMF)-a next-generation climate simulator that embeds thousands of localized, computationally-intensive CRMs within each atmospheric column of a host coarse-grid climate model. It's an experimental way to generate climate predictions that reduces the number of assumptions that must typically be made about fine-scale physics-but it comes at such computational cost that it is not used in mainstream international projections. Outsourcing the nested physics to AI could change that.
The host climate model operates at a horizontal resolution of approximately 1.5 degrees (about 150km) or coarser, while each embedded CRM runs at 2km resolution, explicitly simulating clouds and convection at much finer scales.
Over a simulated 10-year span, E3SM-MMF produced a staggering 5.7 billion samples, each describing how small-scale physical processes alter the large-scale atmospheric state. These processes include how turbulent updrafts lead to cloud formation, what causes microphysical droplets to form, how convection organizes from scales of individual clouds to large organized cloud complexes, and how these cloud systems interact with solar and infrared radiation, thereby regulating climate.
This massive dataset serves as the foundation for training ML models that emulate subgrid physics and can replace the expensive embedded CRM that consumes approximately 95% of the total computational expenses. It has already spurred a global Kaggle competition that attracted over 460 teams from around the world to develop and benchmark ML solutions on this high-fidelity climate dataset-helping accelerate progress through open, collaborative innovation.
data-src=https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-jpg.webp alt=A schematic diagram of the ClimSim dataset. The diagram shows the input variables on the left, which consist of a set of macro-scale state variables. On the right, the diagram displays the target variables, which primarily include the tendencies of those state variables due to unresolved processes. class=lazyload wp-image-103090 data-srcset=https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-jpg.webp 1999w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-300x227-jpg.webp 300w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-625x473-jpg.webp 625w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-152x115-jpg.webp 152w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-768x581-jpg.webp 768w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-1536x1163-jpg.webp 1536w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-645x488-jpg.webp 645w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-396x300-jpg.webp 396w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-119x90-jpg.webp 119w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-362x274-jpg.webp 362w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-145x110-jpg.webp 145w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-1024x775-jpg.webp 1024w, https://developer-blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image4-713x540-jpg.webp 713w data-sizes=(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px />Figure 1. A schematic of the ClimSim dataset and the underlying machine-learning problem. Inputs consist of a set of macro-scale state variables; targets primarily include the tendencies of those state variables due to unresolved processes.
The challenge? These models need to be more than just accurate offline. They must remain stable when integrated into a live climate simulator-running hour after hour, year after year-without letting the virtual atmosphere drift into unrealistic states. Controlling the behavior of hybrid physics-ML simulations is a marquee challenge, especially in situations where the host physics model cannot be made differentiable. Some simple host models can be rewritten in differentiable code, enabling ML optimization of hybrid dynamics directly. But many candidate host models are not easy to rewrite differentiably, or are so nonlinear that direct optimization on hybrid behavior is impractical. Fully featured climate simulators spanning
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
11/07/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...
11/07/2025
If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...
11/07/2025
L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...
11/07/2025
ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...
11/07/2025
Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...
11/07/2025
LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...
11/07/2025
Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....
11/07/2025
CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...
11/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...
11/07/2025
Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...
11/07/2025
Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...
11/07/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...
11/07/2025
2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...
11/07/2025
A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff
Friday, July 1...
11/07/2025
CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...
11/07/2025
Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalItaly
Link copied to clipboard
July 11, 20...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Season 1
Season 2
Se...
11/07/2025
AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit
The...
11/07/2025
Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia.
From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
10/07/2025
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...
10/07/2025
This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...
10/07/2025
The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...
10/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...
10/07/2025
Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...
10/07/2025
Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...
10/07/2025
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...
10/07/2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....
10/07/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...
10/07/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...
10/07/2025
The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
10 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard...
10/07/2025
In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...
10/07/2025
As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...
10/07/2025
10 Jul 2025
VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...
10/07/2025
5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...
10/07/2025
Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...
10/07/2025
Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...
10/07/2025
Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...
10/07/2025
FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...
10/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
The Very Small Creatures
Jaime's Treetop Tales
Emerald
BooSnoo! Christmas Mashup
Pip & Posy's Spooktacular Party
The Very Sm...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
Brand new rewards are coming to Sky customers, with free ...
In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often struggle: They can't fully capture critical small-scale processes, like thunderstorms or towering tropical clouds, because of computational limits. 
