Switzerland has launched Apertus, a fully open-source, multilingual Large Language Model (LLM), developed by a consortium of leading Swiss institutions including EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS). This initiative aims to provide a transparent, trustworthy, and inclusive AI alternative, fostering research and development globally.
Key Takeaways
Fully Open-Source: Apertus provides public access to its architecture, training data, and documentation, promoting transparency and reproducibility.
Multilingual Capabilities: Trained on data from over 1,500 languages, with a significant portion in non-English languages, it champions global inclusivity.
Sovereign Infrastructure: Developed using Switzerland's national supercomputer, Alps, powered by renewable energy, highlighting a commitment to sustainable and sovereign AI.
Dual Model Sizes: Available in 8-billion and 70-billion parameter versions, catering to various application needs.
Regulatory Compliance: Designed to adhere to Swiss data protection laws and the EU AI Act's transparency requirements.
A New Era of Open AI
Apertus, named after the Latin word for "open," is designed to be a foundational model for future AI research and applications. Unlike many proprietary AI systems, Apertus offers complete transparency, allowing developers and organisations to inspect, modify, and build upon its design. This open approach is intended to foster trust and enable wider collaboration in the AI community.
Multilingualism and Inclusivity at its Core
A significant feature of Apertus is its extensive multilingual training data, encompassing over 1,500 languages. With approximately 40% of the training data in non-English languages, including Swiss German and Romansh, the model aims to address the English-centric bias often found in other LLMs. This focus on inclusivity makes Apertus a valuable resource for a global user base.
Built on Sustainable and Sovereign Infrastructure
The model was trained on Switzerland's national supercomputer, Alps, which is powered entirely by renewable energy. This choice of infrastructure underscores a commitment to both environmental sustainability and national digital sovereignty. The use of advanced hardware, such as NVIDIA Grace-Hopper chips, ensures the model's capabilities while maintaining an ethical and transparent development process.
Accessibility and Future Development
Apertus is accessible through platforms like Hugging Face and Swisscom. While experienced users can download the model directly, practical implementation may require dedicated server resources. The Swiss AI Initiative plans regular updates to Apertus, aiming to expand its capabilities, improve efficiency, and develop domain-specific tools for sectors like law, health, and education, all while maintaining its core principles of openness and transparency.
A Transparent Alternative in a Competitive Landscape
While not aiming to directly compete with the sheer scale and budget of major tech giants, Apertus positions itself as a trustworthy and accessible alternative for scientific researchers, the public sector, and commercial projects that prioritise transparency and data security. Its open-source nature allows for customisation and fine-tuning, making it adaptable to a wide range of specific needs, particularly in regulated industries like finance.