110. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role envisioned by his Department for artificial intelligence and quantum computing in predicting and responding to climate and weather events. [65728/26]

Met Éireann is actively exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in weather and climate prediction and in the delivery of weather services. AI is being considered as a complement to existing numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems, with the potential to improve the speed, resolution, accuracy and usefulness of weather information.

Through the AI for Meteorological Service Innovation and Research (AIMSIR) Centre, in partnership with University College Dublin, a range of research projects are exploring potential applications of AI. Some of these include AI-based nowcasting, impact-based forecasting, fog forecasting, sub-catchment flood forecasting, automated quality control of observations, and the use of AI to improve the personalisation of weather information. The programme is intended to build national expertise and to explore how successful research can potentially be developed towards operational weather services.

Met Éireann is also working closely with national and international research partners, including University College Dublin, the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), United Weather Centres West (UWC-W) and EUMETNET E-AI. These collaborations provide access to expertise, research capability, datasets and high-performance computing resources, and support Met Éireann in keeping pace with rapid developments in AI-based weather prediction.

Internally, Met Éireann is developing its own dedicated data-driven modelling expertise and the supporting infrastructure required to develop AI weather predictive models. This is based on ECMWF Anemoi Software library, with access to high-performance computing and large datasets.

Quantum computing is an emerging technology which Met Éireann and my Department will continue to monitor, particularly in relation to its potential future applications in weather and climate modelling. While recent developments are highly promising, quantum computing remains largely at the experimental and proof-of-concept stage. Hybrid approaches, combining conventional and quantum computing technologies, may have potential applications in operational workflows in the future. At present, AI and the associated computing infrastructure are the more mature technologies and are therefore the primary focus of Met Éireann’s current research and development activity in this area.