Switzerland Advances Its Own Path in Artificial Intelligence

Switzerland is setting a new course in artificial intelligence. In 2025 the country introduced its first fully open and sovereign large language model, giving businesses, researchers and public authorities access to an AI system built and hosted in Switzerland. The development signals a move toward greater independence, stronger data protection and a multilingual approach rooted in Swiss values. Startups, research institutions and infrastructure providers are beginning to form an ecosystem that could influence the way Swiss companies, government bodies and citizens use AI and how the country positions itself in the European technology landscape.

A sector once dominated from abroad

For years the global AI field was shaped by a handful of foreign technology firms that released highly capable but closed systems. Their models did not reveal training data or internal structures and left users with limited insight into how decisions were made. Swiss researchers explored smaller models, but the lack of sovereign AI infrastructure restricted broader adoption, particularly in sectors with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare and public administration.

Swiss universities and research labs built expertise in machine learning and high performance computing, yet until 2025 the country had no national scale, open source model that matched Switzerland’s standards of transparency, neutrality and multilingual inclusiveness.

The breakthrough arrives in 2025

This changed with the launch of Apertus, a large-scale multilingual model developed by EPFL, ETH Zurich and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre. Apertus was trained on the Alps supercomputer with 15 trillion tokens and released in two versions with 8 billion and 70 billion parameters. All components, including architecture, datasets, model weights and documentation, were published under an Apache 2.0 licence.
About 40 percent of the training data originates from non English sources, giving Apertus strong multilingual capabilities that extend to Swiss German and Romansh. The open release supports transparency and allows Swiss engineers and institutions to study and adapt the model.
Infrastructure became available at the same time. Phoenix Technologies AG announced that it would host Apertus on a sovereign Swiss cloud to ensure that data processed with the model remains within Swiss jurisdiction. For businesses and public bodies concerned with data control, this created an alternative to foreign hosted systems and opened the door to applications that require confidentiality and compliance.

A market searching for trustworthy systems

Across Europe interest in open and sovereign AI is rising. Regulatory frameworks such as the European AI Act are increasing the demand for models that meet strict governance standards. In this environment open source systems offer clear advantages because they can be inspected, audited and adapted.
For Switzerland the opportunity is significant. Apertus provides a national foundation on which startups, SMEs and institutions can build their services. Instead of relying on proprietary foreign systems, domestic developers can create products under Swiss control with clear auditability. This could form the basis of a Swiss AI ecosystem capable of supplying compliant solutions across Europe, supported by Switzerland’s reputation for neutrality and regulatory reliability.

International capital has already taken notice. Local reports indicate that more than 85 percent of deep tech funding in Switzerland comes from abroad, attracted by research strength and political stability. With demand for sovereign AI growing across Europe, Switzerland’s role as a supplier of trustworthy technology is expected to expand.

Swiss actors move into position

Apertus remains the central element of this shift. Researchers involved in its development describe the model as a template for trustworthy AI and expect future versions to specialise in domains such as law, climate research, health and education.

Phoenix Technologies AG provides the infrastructure layer. By hosting Apertus on a sovereign Swiss cloud, the company enables institutions to deploy applications without moving data beyond national borders. This combination of open model and domestic hosting forms the basis for a wave of new companies working on fine tuning, compliance tooling, deployment services and sector specific applications.

Economic impact reaches beyond the lab

The rise of sovereign open source AI is beginning to reshape parts of the economy. New jobs are emerging in research, engineering, data science and cloud operations. By reducing dependence on foreign systems, Switzerland can keep more value creation within its own borders and offer services in highly regulated industries. Financial firms, healthcare providers and public authorities can adopt AI tools with fewer concerns about data exposure. The shift strengthens digital sovereignty and supports innovation by lowering entry barriers for startups.

The next steps

The release of Apertus marks the start of a multi year transition. Broader adoption in 2026 is expected across companies and public institutions that need transparent and controllable AI systems. The domestic ecosystem of AI service providers is likely to expand with fine tuning services, compliance solutions and industry specific applications. Capital inflows from Swiss and international investors will reinforce the country’s role as a deep tech hub. With trusted tools and infrastructure, Swiss firms are well placed to supply AI services across Europe.

A landscape that now requires support

For this emerging ecosystem to grow, startups need capital and guidance. Organisations such as CapiWell assist growth stage companies in securing funding, navigating regulation and connecting with investors who support long term innovation. Firms working on sovereign AI infrastructure, model adaptation or application development can benefit from this type of support as demand for Swiss made AI solutions rises.

The introduction of Apertus marks a new chapter in Switzerland’s approach to artificial intelligence. By building and hosting its own large language models, the country is taking control of its digital future and establishing the foundations for a competitive, multilingual and transparent AI ecosystem. The direction of travel is clear: Switzerland is shaping its own path in a field once dominated from abroad.