Vaisala Xweather – a Finnish-born weather data and intelligence company – has opened a new location in Maryland.
Approximately 20 Vaisala Xweather employees now call Gaithersburg home, including software engineers, data scientists, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) engineers, sales workers, and operational forecasters. The company provides forecasting, applications, and analytics for the energy, utilities, aviation, agriculture, banking, finance, and insurance industries, as well as automotive and transportation sectors.
The company selected a 5,500 square-foot space at the Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg for its access to the Intercounty Connector (ICC) and the I-270 corridor for commuters, surrounding teambuilding amenities, and adjacent retail, hotels, and parking for visiting customers. The Rio development is home to numerous thriving companies including X-energy, which announced its expansion in Montgomery and Frederick counties last year.
Vaisala Xweather says the new Maryland facility will play an important role in helping customers turn weather and environmental intelligence into real-world decisions that create safer communities and prepare for future weather events.
“Today, roughly one third of our revenue comes from the US, and this new Maryland office is a natural next step as we continue to invest in science, meteorology, and AI in the nation’s capital.”
Executive Vice President Samuli Hänninen
Parent company Vaisala houses other divisions that provide industrial measurement sensors for biotech labs and data centers, and weather and radar instruments used at airports, as well as other locations that demand the highest-quality data. The company’s Live with Xweather website shows real-time weather worldwide, allowing visitors to visualize global conditions with radar, dew points, and wind speeds, with additional AI embedded capabilities allowing users to understand what the weather forecast means for their days ahead.
While some may recognize Vaisala’s name from their vehicle’s weather reports, many don’t know about the major institutions using Vaisala and Vaisala Xweather technology—including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a testament to the company’s accuracy and precision. Nearly half of Fortune 100 companies rely on Vaisala’s data to manage weather-related challenges and implement resiliency strategies.
“Vaisala is one of the most well-known and established weather companies in the world. It is great to have its newest location in the National Capital Region, and right here in Gaithersburg and Montgomery County,” said Travis Hartman, general manager of weather at Vaisala Xweather. “As a resident of MoCo for almost 25 years, I’ve seen the level of interest and presence of technology companies here in the county – and we’re very excited to have Vaisala Xweather be the latest company to drive innovation, provide jobs, and support the local economy. Our team members find the Rio location extremely appealing not just for the access to main transportation routes, but also the retail options the area provides. We look forward to continuing our pursuits of driving high innovation within the weather community and other industries we support, while also having some fun along the way.”
