Switzerland’s Digital Future: Microsoft’s Commitment
Building on 36 years of partnership and innovation in Switzerland, Microsoft announced a USD 400 million investment to further strengthen both cloud and artificial intelligence capabilities across the country, including the most advanced graphics processing units. This latest investment, unveiled in Bern on June 2 by Microsoft Vice Chair Brad Smith and Catrin Hinkel, CEO Microsoft Switzerland, in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, deepens Microsoft’s long-standing commitment to Switzerland’s digital future — from the launch of local datacenters six years ago to the opening of the Microsoft Innovation Hub in 2022 — and reinforces that vision through continued strategic investments in innovation, digital resilience, and AI adoption.
Read the full press release here.
“Our commitment and investment in Switzerland spans 36 years, and today’s announcement is a testament to that enduring partnership. We are steadfast in our mission to empower our customers and partners, as AI’s true potential is unlocked when innovation meets real-world implementation. Together, we’ll continue to build on Switzerland’s tradition of innovation to ensure technology delivers meaningful value to the economy and society.”
Catrin Hinkel, CEO Microsoft Switzerland
Expanding Cloud and AI Infrastructure
Microsoft will upgrade its four datacenters near Zurich and Geneva with advanced AI infrastructure, extending investments made since launching local data centers six years ago. This expansion addresses the growing demand for cloud services in Switzerland and ensures continued support of AI services in the region, as a reaction to strong momentum in AI adoption. According to Microsoft data from Q1 2025, Azure OpenAI usage among customers in Switzerland has increased significantly since mid-2023. Switzerland also ranks second globally in GitHub AI contributor share, with contributors nearly doubling since 2022, reflecting strong engagement from the local developer community. Additionally, the share of Microsoft users in Switzerland engaging with AI tools rose by approximately 3 percentage points to 31% over the past six months, underscoring growing adoption of AI technologies across the Swiss customer base.
The expansion will serve more than 50,000 existing customers while bringing advanced capabilities to new organizations, allowing data to remain within Swiss borders — a critical requirement for regulated sectors like healthcare, finance and government. Notably, UBS, Switzerland’s leading financial institution and one of the world’s largest banks, placed their trust in Microsoft by relying on services that can be scaled to meet the global needs of the business while keeping their data within Swiss borders. UBS’s decision to rely on Microsoft’s scalable and locally compliant services reflects a shared commitment to innovation and data sovereignty in Switzerland.
Switzerland’s Digital Future: Microsoft’s Commitment | Microsoft Switzerland CEO Catrin Hinkel
Empowering Switzerland’s Startup and SME Ecosystem
Microsoft is expanding its long-standing commitment to Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem through new partnerships and continued support for Startups and SMEs. In one key initiative, Microsoft is partnering with the Switzerland Innovation Parks, the Swiss national network of innovation parks, to accelerate the transfer of AI and industry research into practical applications across industrial processes and public services. The collaboration strengthens Switzerland’s distinct position in innovation and creates direct pathways for innovations to move quickly from research to market applications across diverse sectors of the Swiss economy – empowering SMEs in particular, the backbone of the Swiss economy and innovation engine.
Since 2019, Microsoft has provided over CHF 30 million in technology resources to more than 1,500 local startups with the Microsoft for Startups program, helping create over 11,000 jobs. Setting the pace in accelerating the development of AI solutions by Swiss Startups, Microsoft’s Swiss AI Tech Accelerator Community will continue with its next cohort in fall 2025, providing participants with resources and expertise to scale their solutions. As a nationwide program, it ensures startups from every region of Switzerland have access to technical sessions, expert mentorship, one-on-one support, and a collaborative community – providing a platform for innovation and growth across the country.
Switzerland’s Digital Future: Microsoft’s Commitment | Global Partner Solutions Director Andrew Reid
“Switzerland has created one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems, blending world-class research with real-world applications. For more than three decades, we have stood by our Swiss customers’ side. This latest investment helps further strengthen Switzerland’s long-term economic resilience and competitiveness, while ensuring full compliance with Swiss regulations.”
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft
National Skills Initiative
The potential for new jobs depends on training workers with essential AI skills. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index shows that 80 percent of Swiss leaders believe 2025 is a pivotal year to rethink core business strategies to adopt AI. To manage the rapid transformation brought by AI, 48 percent of leaders name AI-specific skilling as their top workforce strategy. To ensure that Switzerland has the right skills to stay competitive, Microsoft aims to help skill one million people in Switzerland by 2027 with the goal of developing AI capabilities for education, industry, nonprofit organizations, and citizens. The initiative includes training applied sciences students and graduates through FH Schweiz; enhancing an «AI Guide for SMEs» for business adoption through Innovate Switzerland; skilling engagements with industry associations and local chambers of commerce; and training association leaders.
To ensure that AI opportunities reach all segments of Swiss society, Microsoft is extending learning opportunities for broad AI literacy through AI-Fitness.ch and LerneKI.ch. To reach nonprofits and NGOs, Microsoft collaborates with the CyberPeace Institute and PoliSync on AI skills development in Switzerland and the global south, teaching both AI and cybersecurity. Additionally, Microsoft will support AI skilling programs for apprentices in Switzerland and the US, in cooperation with companies such as Bühler and aligned with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.
Switzerland’s Digital Future: AI National Skills Director Switzerland Primo Amrein
Trust and responsibility go hand in hand and they are one of the most important foundations of the Swiss approach, said Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin.
Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in Bern on June 2.
Strengthening “International Geneva”
To support Switzerland’s position as an international center for innovation, Microsoft continues its deep collaboration with the United Nations and other international organizations in International Geneva. By building AI capabilities across and through multilateral organizations in Geneva, Switzerland extends expertise beyond its borders, to the Global South and beyond. Microsoft is engaged with the UN and IOs in advancing policy conversations around responsible AI and data governance, as well as driving AI skilling programs for educators, government workers, policymakers, IT professionals, and organizational leaders. Microsoft’s work with the UN also includes leveraging AI to address global challenges that include health, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and biodiversity conservation.