Artificial intelligence in the Greater Zurich Area

Researchers in Greater Zurich want to make machines not only more capable but also better learners. For instance, the ETH AI Center with over 93 professorships focuses on AI foundations and applications across all departments and promotes trustworthy AI. The mission of the Robotics and Perception Group of the University of Zurich is to develop autonomous machines that can navigate all by themselves using only onboard cameras, without relying on external infrastructures, such as GPS or motion capture systems. In Lugano, IDSIA specializes in machine learning and robotics, while the Swiss National Supercomputing Center CSCS offers top-tier infrastructure for researchers, such as the supercomputer "Alps". In addition, universities like ZHAW, FHGR, USI, and SUPSI also offer AI degree programs, thereby strengthening Greater Zurich's position as a leader in AI innovation.

Google's strong presence in the Greater Zurich Area is highlighted by its impressive workforce of over 5,000 employees at its Zurich site, its largest R&D hub outside the U.S. Further enhancing the region's AI scene, a range of companies including startups like Teralytics, Starmind, Squirro, and Cradle, and giants such as Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, IBM, and Hauwei have set up R&D labs in the Greater Zurich Area. Their collaboration with Swiss universities and institutions fuels a dynamic ecosystem of innovation.

The outstanding academic institutions and high concentration of R&D labs by private companies attract a large and highly skilled talent pool to the Greater Zurich Area. According to Sequoia’s Atlas, Zurich ranks third out of 24 European cities in AI talent share – pretty impressive when considering its size. When comparing the density of AI talent, Zurich stands out with the second highest in Europe, representing 14% of the city’s local talent pool. This highlights the Greater Zurich Area’s unique position as a densely concentrated hub of AI expertise.

In the late 80s, Greater Zurich emerged as an AI pioneer. Jürgen Schmiedhuber, a professor at IDSIA, laid the foundation for modern AI with his research into neural networks and deep learning. IDISA later became the birthplace of DeepMind, where many of the technologies behind the company, which was bought by Google for 500 million just four years after it was founded, were developed. At the same time as Schmiedhuber's groundbreaking work, Dr. Rolf Pfeifer, former head of the University of Zurich's AI research lab, shifted his focus from algorithm research to robotics and emphasized the importance of AI as a stand-alone organism. Today, he believes that realistic communication and the concept of embodiment are crucial for the development of advanced AI.