On July 18, 2025, the first national-level expo centered on the "meteorological economy", the First Meteorological Economy Expo (hereinafter referred to as "the Expo"), commenced at the Hefei Binhu International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Li Heping, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, and Luo Yunfeng, Deputy Secretary of the Hefei Municipal Committee and Mayor of Hefei, attended the opening ceremony. Tan Zhemin, President of the Chinese Meteorological Society and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zheng Guoguang, President of the China Association for Disaster Prevention, and Xu Xiaofeng, President of the China Meteorological Service Association, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Ninecosmos was invited to participate and delivered a keynote report titled "Global Ocean Intelligent Forecasting Model and Application”.

Moment of Honor: Milestone for Ninecosmos Technology

During the awards ceremony held in the morning, Dr. Zhou Zheng, General Manager of Ninecosmos Technology, accepted the First Prize of the Meteorological Technology Invention Award from the CMSA on behalf of the company. The certificate was presented by conference guest Professor Chen Haishan, President of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST). This award vividly exemplifies the collaborative development of "industry-academia-research-application" within the event.

This honor not only affirms the Ninecosmos team but also encourages the deep integration of "industry-academia-research-application". From fundamental research at the Department of Earth System Science in Tsinghua University, to industrial implementation by Ninecosmos Technology, the team has established a closed-loop ecosystem of "Technology R&D → Product Transformation → Scenario Validation". This ecosystem is driving AI large models from the laboratory to the forefront of the commercial meteorological service industry.

Keynote Report: Tracing the R&D Journey from an Industrial Perspective

In the afternoon's thematic presentation, Zhou Zheng introduced the research work of Professor Huang Xiaomeng's team from AI4Earth Lab at Tsinghua University in the field of artificial intelligence and Earth system science from three dimensions:"Demand Driven → Technological Iteration → Scenario Implementation". Over the past two years, the team has successively launched four AI large models: the AI-GOMS ocean large model in August 2023, enabling 30-day global meteorological and ocean forecasting; the AI assimilation tool ADAF in November 2024; the global-regional nested meteorological model OneForeCast in February this year; and the Triton large model in May, achieving 365-day global meteorological and ocean forecasting, with the entire forecast process requiring only 56 seconds of computation on a single GPU.

Building upon these research foundation, Ninecosmos leverages its strength in industrial transformation. It has integrated these large models into Ninecosmos Weather Routing System, which has already served over 12,000 voyages, more than 400 clients, and over 2,000 vessels. By validating engineering and commercial value in real scenarios and feeding insights back into technological iteration, Ninecosmos not only accelerates the implementation of research results but also provides disruptive solutions for the commercial meteorological service industry, which effectively translates "paper formulas" into tangible "meteorological applications" and "ocean benefits".

Historic Moment: The Launch of the Marine Meteorology Technical Committee

Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the first Meteorological Economy Expo, the inauguration ceremony of the "Marine Meteorology Technical Committee of the China Meteorological Service Association (CMSA)" was grandly held. Zhou Zheng, appointed as an expert member of the technical committee, joined other industry experts in witnessing this significant moment.

The establishment of the Marine Meteorology Technical Committee aims to gather top-tier scientific research capabilities in the marine meteorology field, promoting innovation and development in marine meteorological technology. The committee will be dedicated to facilitating exchanges and cooperation in marine meteorological science and technology, accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and enhancing capabilities in marine meteorological forecasting and related industrial applications.

Expo Insights: High-Level Platform Unleashing Multiple Effects

China's meteorological economy output value has exceeded 200 billion yuan, with over 10,000 enterprises nationwide involved in meteorology-related industries. Under the theme "Integrating Meteorology into the New Economy, Working Together for a Better Future", this Expo aims to create a national-level, comprehensive platform for exchange and cooperation in the meteorological economy. Through exhibition zone showcases, thematic seminars, and industry matchmaking activities, it comprehensively presents the transition path of meteorological services from being a "fundamental support" to becoming an "economic engine", driving the deep integration of meteorology into the construction of the modern economic system.

More than 1,200 participants gathered for the event, including representatives from government, international organizations, renowned meteorologists from China and abroad, as well as enterprise representatives and experts from various industries such as energy, finance, and agriculture.

The Expo emphasized the concept of "connection", organically integrating application scenarios, scientific research achievements, capital resources, and industrial ecosystems to form a new pattern of efficient connection and shared success. Exhibiting companies spanning over 20 industries, including new energy, artificial intelligence, and low-altitude economy, made a collective appearance, comprehensively demonstrating the deep embedding and collaborative innovation of meteorological technology within different industry scenarios, and establishing the Expo as a benchmark for the development of "Meteorology+" industries.