Swiss expertise supports Bulgarian artificial intelligence centre
It is hoped that INSAIT will encourage research and jobs in eastern Europe.
Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud
Switzerland’s two federal institutes of technology have helped launch an $100 million (CHF93 million) information technology research centre in Bulgaria.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Português
pt
Perícia suíça apóia centro de inteligência artificial búlgaro
The Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) was opened in Sofia on Monday.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and federal technology institute ETH Zurich both helped set up the centre and will continue to support its operations.
“INSAIT aims to become a leading international scientific institute for computer science, artificial intelligence and computational technology, and to build a world-class research powerhouse that aims to attract scientific and technological talent from the region and around the world,” read a statement from EPFLExternal link.
The new institute was also backed the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), UC Berkeley, Yale, Princeton, and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
Large scale technology companies such as Amazon Web Services, Google and DeepMind have also lent their support to the ambitious project, along with Bulgarian enterprises.
INSAIT will focus its research on machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, information security, programming languages, formal methods, quantum computing, and computer architecture, and other tech-related fields.
Martin Vechev, professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, said INSAIT “has the potential to become a very disruptive initiative”.
Also at the INSAIT opening ceremony was Swiss education minister Guy Parmelin who met with Bulgarian and European Union officials. Parmelin later tweeted that Bulgaria is supporting Switzerland’s bid to be re-admitted as a full member of the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme.
This content was published on
The army is looking for a modern solution for its decommissioned fortress mortar bunkers, with plans to turn them into hardened defence hubs.
This content was published on
Spain ended Switzerland’s run in the Women’s Euros on Friday, but fans in Bern made history with the largest supporters’ march in Women’s Euros history.
This content was published on
Solar energy pioneer Raphaël Domjan and his team continued preparations for the altitude record attempt at 10,000 metres with the SolarStratos solar aircraft.
This content was published on
Cattle in the canton of Geneva and in the neighbouring region of Terre Sainte in the canton of Vaud are being vaccinated against the contagious viral skin nodule disease. The first cases of the animal disease were reported at the end of June in France, just outside Geneva.
Fewer attacks on Swiss ATMs but their future remains uncertain
This content was published on
Bank ATMs in Switzerland are less prone to attacks by criminals, but their future remains uncertain given the less active use of cash by the population.
This content was published on
A series of rockfalls occurred above the village of Brienz between 9 and 12 July. According to the municipality of Albula, the overall situation remains tense. Several people disregarded the ban on entering the area around the village.
This content was published on
Arosa Bergbahnen achieved the highest figure in its 95-year history in the 2024/25 financial year with net revenue of CHF 37 million. Arosa Lenzerheide was able to capitalise on strengths such as snow reliability and the size of the ski area in a long winter season, the company announced on Thursday.
This content was published on
Unknown perpetrators stole ceramic dental implants during a break-in at a company in Oensingen, northern Switzerland, on Tuesday night.
Euro 2025: Bern prepares for massive parade ahead of Switzerland-Spain game
This content was published on
The last Euro 2025 match to be played in Bern, the quarterfinal between Spain and Switzerland at 9pm on Friday, promises to be a great celebration of football.
Ethical artificial intelligence: Could Switzerland take the lead?
This content was published on
The debate on contact-tracing highlights the urgency of tackling unregulated technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
This content was published on
If death and taxes are the only two things that a person can count on, should the latter apply to robots as well, as they take over human jobs?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.