Upcoming IFS and AIFS changes with user impacts

Announcements
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2026 will be a big year for ECMWF, with two IFS model cycle upgrades (50r1 and 50r2) and the update of both AIFS Single and AIFS Ensemble.

The test data for IFS Cycle 50r1 is expected to be released very soon, and we encourage users to follow the implementation page for more information.

IFS Cycle 50r2 will introduce full GRIB2 support for ECMWF products. This cycle will see a significant change in the GRIB data that users receive and we anticipate a longer test phase to allow users time to transition. Note that this is not an optional transition - all data will be produced in GRIB2 moving forward.

The AIFS models (Single and Ensemble) will also see significant updates in the coming months, including the addition of new parameters, with the AIFS release taking place at the same time as the IFS Cycle 50r1 release.

For any enquiries please use the ECMWF Support portal.

ECMWF Support

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As the implementation of the upgrade for the IFS Cycle 50r1, AIFS Single v2 and AIFS ENS v2, scheduled for late April 2026, approaches we have made Implementation pages for the both AIFS models available.

Users can now access more information about:

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