Researchers from EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) have released Apertus, a groundbreaking large language model (LLM) designed to set new standards in transparency and inclusivity for artificial intelligence. The September launch marks Switzerland’s first large-scale open-source multilingual AI model.
Named after the Latin word for “open,” Apertus distinguishes itself by making its entire architecture, training data, and model weights freely available. According to ETH Zurich, this level of openness allows developers, researchers, and organizations worldwide to adapt the system to their needs while scrutinizing every step of its development process.
The model, available in two sizes with 8 billion and 70 billion parameters, can already be accessed via Swisscom’s AI platform, Hugging Face, and the Public AI network. With 40 percent of its 15 trillion-token training data sourced from non-English languages, Apertus supports linguistic diversity often overlooked in other models.
“This release provides a blueprint for how a trustworthy, sovereign, and inclusive AI model can be developed,” said Martin Jaggi, Professor of Machine Learning at EPFL and member of the Swiss AI Initiative Steering Committee.
Researchers emphasize Apertus is not just a research-to-product transfer, but a tool to drive innovation across sectors such as education, healthcare, and climate science. Antoine Bosselut, head of the Natural Language Processing Laboratory at EPFL, called the project “the beginning of a journey” toward open and sovereign AI foundations.
The release coincides with the Swiss {ai} Weeks, where developers will have the opportunity to experiment with the model in hackathons and provide feedback. Future updates are expected to expand its capabilities while maintaining strict standards of transparency and compliance with EU AI Act obligations.
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