Boise State University has joined a national research initiative designed to use artificial intelligence for improved precipitation forecasting and electrical grid reliability. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, aims to accelerate weather science by compressing months of analytical work into hours.
National AI Weather Initiative
The effort is known as ASPIRE, which stands for ARM-Driven Simulation for Physical Insight Research Engine. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory leads the project, with Ann Almgren serving as Principal Investigator. The initiative brings together atmospheric scientists and AI experts to translate collected atmospheric data into actionable physical insights.
“ASPIRE brings AI experts and atmospheric scientists together to translate the atmospheric data we collect into physical insight,” Almgren said.
Boise State’s Role in Research
Lejo Flores, a professor of geosciences at Boise State University, serves as the lead investigator for the university. The project will build a coordinated AI system that combines curated data, scientific literature insights, and regional atmospheric simulations. This workflow connects small-scale physical processes to large-scale weather patterns associated with severe storms, snow droughts, and extreme precipitation.
“The overarching vision of this project is to harness AI so scientists can more quickly advance the science of predicting precipitation,” Flores said.
Grid Reliability and Hydropower
The research focuses on improving precipitation forecasts to better manage hydropower resources and protect critical grid infrastructure. ASPIRE utilizes agentic AI, which refers to autonomous systems capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks from high-level instructions. One example task involves investigating the conditions that caused the December 2021 “Santa Slammer” extreme snowfall event in Colorado.
Nancy Glenn, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Boise State University, noted the significance of the partnership. The work is supported by the Department of Energy under Award #DE-AC02-05CH11231. Additional details regarding the ASPIRE project will be released in coordination with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy.