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GEM has released OpenQuake Engine 3.25, a new version of its open-source seismic hazard and risk software designed to improve performance, reduce memory use and support increasingly large and complex computations. The update marks an important step toward the 2026 release of GEM’s next global hazard and risk models, strengthening the computational foundation needed for work on a global scale.

OpenQuake Engine is the software framework that underpins many of GEM’s hazard and risk calculations. In version 3.25, the focus is on making those calculations more efficient and scalable, particularly for workflows involving large stochastic event sets and global hazard modelling. One of the main changes is a new default workflow that generates ground-motion fields on the fly rather than storing large intermediate datasets, helping reduce storage demands and improve processing efficiency.

The release also introduces major optimisation in rupture filtering and classical probabilistic seismic hazard analysis workflows, improving performance on multi-core systems. Other updates reduce disk usage through dataset compression, improve post-processing performance, and add new aggregated risk outputs. The new version also strengthens the handling of secondary perils, expands hazard library capabilities, and adds support for Python 3.13.

For users, these changes mean that OpenQuake is better equipped to handle large and data-intensive modelling tasks while remaining flexible for research and applied risk analysis. Users prioritising long-term stability may remain on the 3.23.x long-term support branch, while version 3.25 provides the newer capabilities needed for forthcoming global model development.

As GEM prepares to present updated global hazard and risk products in 2026, OpenQuake Engine 3.25 represents part of the technical groundwork behind those releases. The scientific and computational advances supporting this next phase will also form part of the wider discussion at GEM Conference 2026 – From Faults to Future Scenarios.

Further details on the release and related conference information are available through the links below.

Changelog: https://github.com/gem/oq-engine/blob/engine-3.25/debian/changelog  

Download OpenQuake 3.25: https://github.com/gem/oq-engine/#openquake-engine  

GEM Conference 2026 programme: https://www.globalquakemodel.org/gemevents/gem2026-conference-from-faults-to-future-scenarios