BSC Leads National AI Project to Transform Air Quality Assessment in Spain
Dec. 9, 2025 — The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) will coordinate the national project “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to TRansform Air Quality AssEssment and Management in Spain” (AIRE). The initiative aims to strengthen Spain’s institutional capacity to meet the demanding requirements of the European Union’s new Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD).
Credit: Shutterstock
AIRE has been granted through the call “Projects in the Field of Artificial Intelligence,” under the State Programme for Research and Experimental Development of the Spanish National Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2024–2027. The project was selected in a highly competitive national evaluation process and is set to transform how air quality is assessed and managed across Spain.
“The AIRE project will leverage artificial intelligence to significantly advance our air quality observing and modeling capabilities, making the bridge between cutting-edge scientific tools and data, and societal needs regarding air pollution monitoring and mitigation. We are very enthusiastic to see that the project has received one of the best evaluations in this national call on artificial intelligence. This marks a transformative moment for air quality in Spain, one that will open new and exciting scientific opportunities in the years to come,” said Hervé Petetin, researcher of the Atmospheric Composition group of the Earth Sciences Department at BSC and coordinator of the project.
The project emerges from the fact that air pollution remains one of Spain’s most severe environmental health challenges, causing an estimated 24,000 premature deaths annually. According to the European Environment Agency, across the EU, the figure rises to 280,000, with economic impacts reaching €250–400 billion each year.
The four-year initiative, starting this December funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, brings together a strong consortium of leading research institutions. Alongside BSC, the coordinating entity, the project has also been awarded to the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC-IDAEA) and the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR), reinforcing a coordinated national effort to advance air-quality science and addressing the challenges on two fronts:
- On the modeling side with the “MODeling of Air Quality Dynamics using AI for Integrated Regulatory Evaluation” (MODAIRE) subproject, led by BSC and funded with 1 milion euros; and
- On the observational side, with the “OBServation-Based AI for Reconstruction and Evaluation of Air Quality” (OBSAIRE) subproject, led by CSIC-IDAEA and UNIZAR and funded with 600,000 euros.
MODAIRE will develop advanced AI-based emulators that replicate the behavior of traditional air-quality models at a much lower computational cost. Once trained, they can produce similar results far more quickly and efficiently while maintaining high fidelity. The tools will produce cost-effective, high-resolution air quality assessments and enable robust planning strategies.
OBSAIRE will focus on consolidating and enhancing observational data across the country by producing a harmonized, quality-controlled national dataset. Together, the subprojects aim to improve how air pollution is monitored, analyzed, and simulated across Spain, aligning with the new demands posed by the AAQD.
AIRE also reinforces Spain’s National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence, building long-term capacity across public research institutions and accelerating digital transformation in the environmental domain. Beyond regulatory compliance, AIRE will generate new scientific knowledge, enable innovative modeling and observational methodologies, and support the development of AI-powered environmental services. Its outcomes are expected to benefit not only Spain but also European regions facing similar air quality, climate, and public health challenges, supporting the European Union’s ambitious Zero Pollution plan of reducing air pollution below harmful levels by 2050.
Source: BSC
Related
BSC Leads National AI Project to Transform Air Quality Assessment in Spain
Dec. 9, 2025 — The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) will…
Linux Foundation Forms Consortium to Support Open Standards for AI Agents
The Linux Foundation has created a new home for a growing set of standards that…
Marvell Launches Strategic Initiative to Accelerate AEC Ecosystem and Hyperscaler Adoption
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 — Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure…
Anthropic and Accenture Expand Partnership to Launch New Claude-Focused Business Group
Dec. 9, 2025 — Anthropic and Accenture today announced a major expansion of their partnership…
Fujitsu and Scaleway Collaborate on Energy-Efficient CPU Path for European AI Workloads
KAWASAKI, Japan and PARIS, Dec. 5, 2025 — Fujitsu Limited and Scaleway, a leading European…
NVIDIA Awards up to $60,000 Research Fellowships to PhD Students
Dec. 5, 2025 — For 25 years, the NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program has supported graduate students doing…
