Switzerland has announced the launch of Apertus, a new open-source large language model (LLM). Developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), Apertus is one of the largest open-source AI models in Europe.
The model is available in two sizes: an 8-billion-parameter version for individual use and a 70-billion-parameter version for more complex tasks. The name "Apertus" is Latin for "open," which reflects the project's commitment to transparency. The model's architecture, training data, model weights, and intermediate checkpoints are all publicly available.
Apertus is designed to be a multilingual, transparent, and compliant AI model. It is intended to provide an alternative to proprietary systems from large tech companies and to foster a more open and collaborative AI ecosystem. The model is currently available to Swisscom business customers, with broader access planned for the future.