Switzerland has released an open-source AI model called Apertus as an alternative to proprietary models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, according to SWI.

The model, available on Hugging Face, is fully open, with its source code, training data, model weights, and development process made public.

Apertus was trained on data from over 1,800 languages and is offered in two versions with 8 billion or 70 billion parameters.

SWI reported that Apertus is comparable to Meta’s Llama 3 model released in 2024.

Developers said the model was built to comply with European Union copyright laws and the voluntary AI code of practice.

Apertus’ training data was sourced from public material, and the team said they respected opt-out requests from websites for AI crawlers.

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🔗 Source: The Verge

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Regulatory compliance is driving national open source AI strategies

Switzerland’s Apertus launch demonstrates how open source development can serve as a strategic response to complex AI regulations.

The model was specifically designed to comply with EU copyright laws and voluntary AI codes of practice, regulations that some US-based AI companies have “reluctantly signed while claiming that the regulations will curb AI innovation”1.

This approach contrasts with how major US tech companies are handling EU compliance, where firms are “recalibrating internal structures” and facing “increased operational costs” to meet requirements2.

The EU AI Act imposes penalties up to €35 million or 7% of global revenue for non-compliance, creating significant financial pressure on international companies3.

By building compliance directly into an open source model from the ground up, Switzerland has created a blueprint that other nations could follow to navigate regulatory complexity while maintaining technological sovereignty.

2️⃣ Open source AI represents a shift toward national technological independence

Apertus reflects a broader movement where countries are using open source development to reduce dependence on dominant US tech platforms.

Swiss officials explicitly position Apertus as “a significant step towards national independence in AI,” designed to align with local data protection laws rather than foreign corporate policies4.

The Apache 2.0 licensing of Apertus allows “unrestricted use for educational, research, and commercial purposes without corporate gatekeeping,” positioning it as “owned by humanity rather than corporations”5.

With Switzerland’s leading universities driving development rather than private companies, this model demonstrates how nations can leverage academic institutions to build strategic technological capabilities independent of foreign corporate control.

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