NASA has recently started using AI technology on a regular basis to monitor solar activity. This new AI model is Surya, which NASA and IBM have jointly introduced as an advanced AI foundation model.

Its name, Surya, is inspired by the Sanskrit word for “sun”. This model will significantly improve the prediction of solar storms and flares. The model is trained on more than nine years of continuous recorded data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Surya can visually predict solar flares two hours before the final observation, which is about 16% more accurate than traditional methods.

Solar storms are dangerous for satellites, GPS, communications, energy systems and space missions on Earth. With the help of Surya, these dangers can be warned and saved.

This is a long-term practical step because the model will be continuously trained with data.