In spring 2024 the new Alps supercomputer goes live at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) of ETH Zurich in Lugano. Boasting the next generation of more than 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs), Alps is one of the world’s most powerful computers for applications in the field of artificial intellignce (AI). This new computer gives Swiss scientists access to the sort of computing power only available to the world’s biggest tech companies.
Technological edge to protect Switzerland’s digital sovereignty
The new supercomputer therefore gives Switzerland a significant competitive advantage over international rivals. This is because the infrastructure for supercomputing is in short supply worldwide due to the rapid development of generative AI and – where available – is mostly owned by a handful of large multinationals. “Through this joint initiative we want to exploit our advantage as a location and make Switzerland’s expertise in artificial intelligence transferrable to society as a whole,” explains Christan Wolfrum, ETH Vice President for Research. “Science must assume a pioneering role in such a forward-looking field, rather than leaving it to a few multinational corporations. Only in this way can we guarantee independent research and Switzerland’s digital sovereignty.”