May 15, 2025 — Microsoft Corp. has awarded NOAA Fisheries researchers two years of advanced computing power and technical expertise to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model aimed at improving salmon habitat management in the Columbia River Basin.
The collaboration is part of Microsoft’s “AI for Good” initiative, a program supporting projects that promote sustainability, public health, and human rights in Washington state. The partnership, which coincides with the tech giant’s 50th anniversary, will see NOAA Fisheries tap into $5 million worth of Azure cloud computing credits, helping researchers more accurately and efficiently forecast how changing river flows impact salmon habitats.
“The model trained on high-resolution satellite images should more quickly and easily show salmon and water managers how changes in flows can expand or reduce available salmon habitat along rivers and streams,” said Morgan Bond, a research scientist who leads the project at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. “This approach should speed that up significantly.”
Until now, gaining such insights required labor-intensive fieldwork and detailed analysis to evaluate even limited areas. With AI processing satellite images across vast regions, scientists expect to cut both time and cost dramatically — while gaining a broader, more detailed view of the watershed.
Read the full article at the National Fisherman