Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has launched its new “AI Center”. This hub is dedicated to exploring how safe and effective artificial intelligence (AI) can propel technological innovation across diverse societal sectors.
EPFL’s new AI Center pioneers AI research and collaboration in Switzerland (© EPFL).
Groundbreaking advancements
Positioned at the forefront of AI research and application, the AI Center aims to harness EPFL‘s extensive faculty expertise and research capabilities in this field. It is committed to fostering a collaborative environment, and encouraging multidisciplinary engagement in AI research, education, and innovation. This approach aims to unite a diverse community of scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the pursuit of groundbreaking AI advancements.
Co-directed by Professors Pascal Frossard from the School of Engineering and Marcel Salathé from the School of Computer and Communication Sciences and the School of Life Sciences, the Center is envisioned as a nexus for AI development and application. “AI’s extensive impact on life, including science and education, demands a collaborative and agile approach. This will enable us to use AI responsibly and productively for the benefit of individuals, communities, institutions, and society,” explained Pascal Frossard.
The EPFL AI Center will also coordinate a variety of AI-related activities. These include educational and strategic initiatives, as well as the institution’s flagship Applied Machine Learning Days event, which serves as a key platform for AI collaboration with industry and the public sector. Marcel Salathé noted: “The Applied Machine Learning Days is a focal point for our collaboration in AI, aligning with global efforts to understand and mitigate AI-related risks.”
“Swiss AI Initiative”
EPFL also joined forces with its sister university, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) to establish Switzerland as a global leader in artificial intelligence through the “Swiss AI Initiative.” A key focus is the development and training of new large language models (LLMs) that meet legal, ethical, and scientific standards. The collaboration also involves around a dozen other Swiss universities and research institutes.
The Alps supercomputer, housed at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre of ETH Zurich in Lugano, is set to become operational in spring 2024. With over 10,000 GPUs, it ranks among the world’s most powerful computers for AI applications. This cutting-edge infrastructure offers Swiss scientists computing capabilities on par with the world’s largest tech firms, giving Switzerland a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The Swiss AI Initiative plans to use an immense amount of computing power on the Alps computer to develop industry-specific AI models for various fields including robotics, medicine, and climate science. This project will also explore fundamental questions surrounding human-AI interaction, ethics, security, and data privacy.
Text: Greater Geneva Bern Area (Editing by SCCIJ)
