A team of researchers, including a Pakistani academic, has received the prestigious Gordon Bell Prize for their groundbreaking work in climate prediction using advanced computing techniques.
Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of supercomputing,” the award recognizes outstanding achievements in high-performance and parallel computing, particularly those contributing to addressing the climate crisis.
Dr. Zubair Khalid, an associate professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), became the first Pakistani to earn this esteemed honor. The award was granted for the team’s project, “Boosting Earth System Model Outputs and Saving PetaBytes in Their Storage Using Exascale Climate Emulators,” which aims to enhance climate modeling efficiency.
Dr. Khalid explained that their innovative approach is a “smart climate model” that overcomes the limitations of traditional models, which require lengthy processing times and produce massive data that is difficult to manage. Their emulator efficiently predicts climate patterns using smaller datasets and advanced algorithms, significantly reducing the energy required for simulations.
This breakthrough tool promises more accurate and faster predictions of climate events, such as floods, hurricanes, and heat waves. It also offers localized climate data, which can assist in disaster preparedness and help farmers optimize their agricultural practices.
Dr. Khalid believes this advancement could make a significant difference in Pakistan, addressing climate-related challenges and protecting communities.