ECMWF
ECMWF is an intergovernmental organization supported by 35 member states that produces medium-range numerical weather forecasts and operates the EU's Copernicus Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services for aviation, agriculture, energy, insurance, and offshore wind sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersReading, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ECMWF does
ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, founded in 1975 and supported by 35 member states. Its core function is producing medium-range numerical weather predictions (forecasts up to approximately 15 days) for European meteorological services and downstream commercial and governmental users in aviation, agriculture, energy trading, insurance, and offshore wind. It also operates the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), delivering quality-assured climate and atmospheric data.
The technology stack is built on a hybrid physics-based and AI-enhanced architecture. The flagship HRES (High Resolution Ensemble System) is a physics-based NWP model that has been independently evaluated as consistently outperforming AI-only models on record-breaking extreme weather events. ECMWF complements HRES with AI weather prediction, integrating third-party models such as Google DeepMind's GraphCast and Huawei's Pangu-Weather alongside its own proprietary AI systems. It also operates the Destination Earth (DestinE) digital twin platform, which integrates atmospheric, ocean, wave, and turbine modeling and is used within Horizon Europe-funded consortia such as the Federated Digital Twins for Wind-Offshore (DTWO) project.
The business model is institutional rather than commercial. ECMWF is funded through mandatory contributions from its 35 member states, EU program contracts (notably Copernicus C3S and CAMS), and competitive research grants such as those under Horizon Europe. Pricing for data and services is not publicly disclosed. Distribution flows through national meteorological services in member states and through the Copernicus program, with a global open data policy broadening reach. The organization employs 251–500 staff and is governed collectively by its member states rather than by private shareholders.
ECMWF firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ECMWF
- Legal name
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
- Website
- https://ecmwf.int
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- ECMWF is an intergovernmental organization supported by 35 member states that produces medium-range numerical weather forecasts and operates the EU's Copernicus Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services for aviation, agriculture, energy, insurance, and offshore wind sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ECMWF industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Numerical Weather Prediction
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early Warning, Event Monitoring & Forecasting (Extreme Weather Alerts, Nowcasting) (EUABALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD), Downscaled Climate Projections & Scenario Analytics (CMIP, SSP/RCP, Regionalization) (EUABALAB), Wind Power Plant EPC (Onshore/Offshore) (EUAEAAAF)
Keywords
Where ECMWF is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reading
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
ECMWF business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
ECMWF product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ECMWF is an intergovernmental organization that produces global numerical weather predictions (medium-range forecasts up to 15 days) and seasonal forecasts using both physics-based models (HRES) and AI/ML systems. It operates the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) for the European Union, and co-leads the Destination Earth (DestinE) digital twin platform. Outputs are distributed to 35 member states, aviation, agriculture, energy, insurance, and offshore wind stakeholders.
Product overview
ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) is an intergovernmental organization offering a unified portfolio of global numerical weather prediction services. The core offering consists of physics-based forecasting systems (HRES), complemented by AI-enhanced forecasting capabilities and partnerships through the Destination Earth (DestinE) digital twin platform. ECMWF also operates the Copernicus Climate and Atmospheric Services for the European Union. The organization serves aviation, agriculture, energy trading sectors and provides open data policies globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ECMWF Weather Forecasting Systems Global numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems integrating physics-based models and AI-enhanced forecasting to produce medium-range weather forecasts used by national meteorological services, aviation, agriculture, and energy sectors worldwide.
- HRES (High Resolution Forecast) ECMWF's physics-based high-resolution weather forecasting model, demonstrated to consistently outperform leading AI weather models when predicting record-breaking extreme weather events including heat waves, cold spells, and wind storms.
- Destination Earth (DestinE) Platform Digital twin platform integrating atmospheric, ocean, wave, and turbine modelling capabilities to support high-impact applications such as offshore wind farm planning, siting, wake effects analysis, and grid integration; used by the DTWO consortium of 12 organizations across 9 countries.
- Copernicus Climate and Atmospheric Services EU-mandated services operated by ECMWF: the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), providing quality-assured climate and atmospheric data products to European public- and private-sector users.
Companies that use ECMWF
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
ECMWF technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ECMWF partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- GeneralicoreECMWF has formalized a partnership with insurance and asset manager Generali through a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the use of quality-assured climate information across Europe. The collaboration pairs ECMWF's Copernicus climate and atmospheric services with Generali's Group Climate Hub to strengthen understanding of climate risks and support resilience strategies.
- DTWO (Federated Digital Twins for Wind-Offshore) ConsortiumcoreECMWF is co-leading the Horizon Europe-funded 'Federated Digital Twins for Wind-Offshore' (DTWO) project, creating a first-of-its-kind digital twin to address challenges in offshore wind energy such as siting, wake effects, and grid integration. The project involves 12 organisations from nine countries and uses the DestinE platform to integrate atmospheric, ocean, wave and turbine modelling capabilities.
- Met OfficemajorCollaboration with Met Office on AI advancement in weather and climate forecasting through building trust and integrating physics-based and AI systems for improved accuracy. Experts from both organizations discuss shared tools, transparency, and diversity to fuel innovation in operational AI forecasting frameworks.
- Horizon EuropecoreHorizon Europe is the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation. ECMWF receives funding through Horizon Europe for projects like DTWO (Federated Digital Twins for Wind-Offshore) and Destination Earth.
- NOOA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)majorCollaboration with NOAA and Australia's Bureau of Meteorology on climate models showing 80% probability of strong El Nino event. ECMWF's climate projections are cited alongside NOAA forecasts for major climate events.
- Australia Bureau of MeteorologymajorCollaboration with Australian Bureau of Meteorology and NOAA on climate models. ECMWF's climate projections for El Nino events are aligned with international meteorological agencies.
- World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)coreECMWF works with WMO on global weather monitoring and climate prediction. WMO announced the IMO Prize for ECMWF's Director-General, demonstrating the organization's standing within the international meteorological community.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ECMWF competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AccuWeather: The largest private-sector commercial weather forecasting company, serving many of the same aviation, enterprise, and consumer segments that consume ECMWF data; overlaps as a downstream commercial layer built partly on ECMWF/NCEP public data.
- The Weather Company (IBM): IBM's commercial weather business offering enterprise forecasting, aviation, and media weather services; comparable in target customers (enterprise, aviation, media) and reliant on similar physics-based and AI-enhanced NWP inputs.
- NOAA (National Weather Service / NCEP): The US government weather agency and global NWP counterpart; collaborates with ECMWF on major climate projections (e.g., El Nino) and operates its own global forecast systems, serving as the most direct transatlantic institutional peer.
Emerging players
- Spire Global: A satellite-based weather data provider focused on radio occultation and proprietary observations feeding NWP/AI forecasting; competes with ECMWF's tier-1 observation ecosystem and represents the emerging data-layer alternative to traditional met agencies.
- Tomorrow.io: A commercial weather intelligence platform serving aviation, logistics, energy, and agriculture; an emerging commercial peer targeting the same enterprise verticals where ECMWF is extending Copernicus-based services.
Direct peers
- Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD): Germany's national meteorological service and a core ECMWF member state, operating its own ICON NWP model and providing comparable medium-range forecasting services to national stakeholders in parallel with ECMWF's pan-European mandate.
- UK Met Office: The UK's national meteorological service and a direct NWP peer with overlapping physics-based modeling capabilities, including a joint collaboration with ECMWF on AI forecasting frameworks and shared tools for operational AI in weather and climate.
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology: Australia's national meteorological service and ECMWF operational partner; explicitly collaborates on El Nino and broader climate projections alongside NOAA, with a comparable public-service mandate and global forecast reach.
- Météo-France: France's national meteorological service and ECMWF member state, running the ARPEGE/IFS-class NWP models; overlapping portfolio of medium-range forecasting, climate services, and aviation/energy data products makes it a direct functional peer.
Regional players
- Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA): Japan's national meteorological agency with comparable global NWP capabilities; serves as a regional peer (Asia) and operates its own integrated modeling suite, paralleling ECMWF's medium-range forecasting role for its region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights9 records
Customer concentration
ECMWF social profiles
Digital presenceECMWF financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ECMWF leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ECMWF funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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ECMWF M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about ECMWF
What does ECMWF do?
ECMWF is an intergovernmental organization that produces global numerical weather predictions (medium-range forecasts up to 15 days) and seasonal forecasts using both physics-based models (HRES) and AI/ML systems. It operates the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) for the European Union, and co-leads the Destination Earth (DestinE) digital twin platform. Outputs are distributed to 35 member states, aviation, agriculture, energy, insurance, and offshore wind stakeholders.
Is ECMWF a public or private company?
ECMWF is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was ECMWF founded?
ECMWF was founded in 1975. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is ECMWF based?
ECMWF is headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are ECMWF's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AccuWeather, The Weather Company (IBM) and NOAA (National Weather Service / NCEP). Emerging players are Spire Global and Tomorrow.io. Direct peers are Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), UK Met Office, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Météo-France. Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is listed as a regional player.
Does ECMWF have an API?
No public API is recorded for ECMWF.
What industry is ECMWF in?
ECMWF's product category is Numerical Weather Prediction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABALAJ, Early Warning, Event Monitoring & Forecasting (Extreme Weather Alerts, Nowcasting), with a secondary code of EUAHAJAD, Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.