Switzerland Launches First Fully Open AI Language Model “Apertus” – A New Era for Education in Zürich and Beyond

OUS Academy in Switzerland
Sep 27
6 min read

Zürich, Switzerland – 27 September 2025 – In a landmark development for education, research, and innovation, Switzerland has officially launched Apertus, its first fully open, transparent, multilingual artificial intelligence language model. This breakthrough is not only a technological milestone but also a major opportunity for students, educators, and innovators, especially in Zürich — a city already known for its world-class education and research environment.

The launch of Apertus signals Switzerland’s commitment to combining cutting-edge AI technology with academic openness and educational progress. With this model, universities, schools, startups, and students can access a powerful AI tool that is transparent, ethically designed, and available for research, teaching, and learning without the restrictions that often come with commercial AI platforms.

This article explores what Apertus is, how it was developed, what it means for education in Zürich, and how international students can benefit from studying in a country where AI innovation meets academic excellence.

What Is Apertus?

Apertus — Latin for “open” — is Switzerland’s first large language model designed to be fully open-source and transparent. It represents a new generation of AI tools where all training data documentation, model architecture, and parameters are publicly available. This openness sets it apart from many commercial AI models, which are often closed systems that limit academic and educational use.

The Apertus model comes in two versions:

A smaller 8-billion-parameter model suitable for teaching, research, and experimentation.
A larger 70-billion-parameter version capable of advanced language processing, multilingual translation, and research-level applications.

Both versions are multilingual and include support for Swiss national languages such as German, French, Italian, and Romansh, along with English and other major global languages. This makes it ideal for Switzerland’s diverse linguistic environment and for international students who need multilingual academic tools.

Who Developed Apertus?

Apertus is the result of a collaborative effort among Switzerland’s leading institutions:

ETH Zürich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich) – Switzerland’s top-ranked technical university, founded in 1855, with over 24,000 students from more than 120 countries. ETH contributed its world-class expertise in AI research, natural language processing, and data science.
EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) – Established in 1969 and home to 11,000+ students, EPFL brought in advanced computing research and multilingual AI capabilities.
Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS) – Based in Lugano and operational since 1991, CSCS provided the computational infrastructure for training such large-scale AI models.

The project was supported by the Swiss AI Initiative, a national program aimed at strengthening Switzerland’s position in artificial intelligence while ensuring ethical standards, transparency, and educational access.

Why Apertus Matters for Education in Zürich

The launch of Apertus is more than a technical achievement. It is a major boost for education in Zürich and Switzerland as a whole. Here are the key reasons:

1. Open Access for Students and Teachers

Because Apertus is open-source, students in Zürich’s universities — from ETH Zürich to the University of Zürich (founded in 1833, now hosting 26,000+ students) — can use it freely in research projects, language learning, and even thesis work.

Professors can integrate the model into classrooms for teaching AI ethics, computational linguistics, or computer science, allowing hands-on experience with real-world AI technology instead of just theory.

2. Multilingual Support for International Students

Zürich attracts thousands of international students each year. With Apertus supporting multiple languages, non-German-speaking students can use AI tools for translation, academic writing assistance, and language learning.

This is particularly valuable because universities in Zürich teach programs in English, German, or both. Tools like Apertus help bridge linguistic gaps, making education more accessible to students from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.

3. Boosting AI Research Opportunities

With ETH Zürich already ranked among Europe’s top technical institutions, access to an open, large-scale AI model means research groups can work on:

Natural language processing
Machine translation
AI ethics and bias reduction
Educational technology development

Graduate and PhD students can build thesis projects, research papers, or even startups using Apertus as a foundation.

4. Encouraging Innovation and Startups

Zürich is known as Switzerland’s economic powerhouse. By releasing Apertus as open infrastructure, the Swiss government and universities are encouraging entrepreneurs, students, and innovators to build educational apps, translation tools, AI tutors, and other technologies without paying high licensing fees to foreign AI providers.

This helps keep innovation local while also giving students real-life entrepreneurship opportunities during or after their studies.

Historical Context: AI and Education in Switzerland

Switzerland’s journey into AI and digital education has accelerated over the last two decades.

In the 2000s, ETH Zürich and EPFL introduced specialized programs in computer science, machine learning, and data science.
By the 2010s, Zürich became home to research labs for global companies such as Google AI, IBM Research, and Microsoft, all attracted by Switzerland’s strong academic talent.
In 2018, AI ethics became part of the national digital strategy, ensuring technology growth aligned with Swiss values of privacy, neutrality, and openness.
Now in 2025, the launch of Apertus represents the first fully open, Swiss-made AI infrastructure designed for education, research, and innovation.

Student Opportunities: How International Learners Benefit

International students in Zürich will see direct benefits from Apertus:

Internships & Research Projects – Students in computer science, linguistics, or education technology can apply for internships at ETH, EPFL, or local startups using Apertus.
Language Learning Tools – Learners can access AI chatbots for German, French, or even Romansh practice.
Affordable Access – Because Apertus is open-source, students from developing countries studying in Zürich can use world-class AI technology without financial barriers.
Entrepreneurship Support – Business and IT students can launch AI-driven startups using Apertus as backend infrastructure.

The Role of Zürich’s Universities

Zürich is home to several institutions that will integrate Apertus into their academic ecosystem:

ETH Zürich – Offering programs in AI, robotics, data science, and computational linguistics. Many Master’s and PhD projects will now use Apertus for thesis work.
University of Zürich (UZH) – With its Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Digital Linguistics Department, UZH can use Apertus in language, translation, and humanities research.
Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) – Known for practical education since 2007, ZHAW will likely incorporate Apertus into applied AI training and continuing education programs.

Together, these institutions host over 60,000 students from more than 120 countries, making Zürich a truly international education hub.

Strengthening Switzerland’s Digital Sovereignty

Another major advantage is digital independence. Most commercial AI tools today come from the US or China. By developing Apertus in Switzerland, educational institutions gain:

Control over data privacy
Full transparency in training methods
Alignment with European AI ethics regulations
Local hosting for sensitive research data

This makes Swiss education not only technologically advanced but also ethically and legally robust.

Future Plans and Next Steps

Swiss universities and the government plan to:

Offer training workshops for teachers and students on how to use Apertus effectively.
Launch open innovation challenges where students build educational apps using the model.
Integrate Apertus into national language learning platforms to support multilingual education.
Encourage joint research between universities in Zürich, Lausanne, and other cantons using Apertus for AI ethics, translation studies, and education technology.

Why This News Matters for International Students

For students considering studying in Zürich, this launch highlights several advantages:

Cutting-edge Education – Access to AI tools developed by top-ranked universities.
Research Excellence – Opportunities to join AI labs at ETH or UZH.
Career Opportunities – Internships with Swiss AI startups and innovation programs.
Multilingual Environment – Support for English, German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
Quality of Life – Zürich combines academic excellence with safety, cultural diversity, and economic stability.

Conclusion

The launch of Apertus marks the beginning of a new chapter for education, research, and technology in Switzerland. By making a large AI model fully open, multilingual, and transparent, Switzerland shows that innovation and ethics can go hand in hand.

For Zürich, this is a chance to strengthen its role as Europe’s leading education and research hub, offering international students world-class opportunities in technology, language learning, and entrepreneurship.

As universities, students, and startups begin using Apertus, Switzerland is set to become a global model for how AI, education, and openness can work together for the future.