Microsoft opens AI lab in Zurich

(CONNECT) Microsoft is creating another field for artificial intelligence research in Zurich: Microsoft's new AI lab will primarily work on the further development of Microsoft Copilot. Davide Bonapersona, Head of Product and Technology Development at Microsoft AI, Microsoft's new AI department founded in 2024 , provides more information. He adds: "Zurich is a magnet for top AI talent and we look forward to increasing our investment there and in Europe."

The CEO of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman, has poached three AI specialists from Google's AI subsidiary DeepMind as founding members of the Zurich AI lab, which is set to grow to several dozen specialists: Zalán Borsos, Marco Tagliasacchi and Matthias Minderer. Suleyman had co-founded DeepMind. The London-based company has been part of Google since 2014 and has developed the AI chat agent Gemini.

Zalán Borsos and Marco Tagliasacchi are audio specialists. "I am very pleased to announce that I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office," Borsos said on LinkedIn. " I will focus on driving the audio capabilities forward together with an outstanding team." Tagliasacchi announces that the Zurich laboratory will be working with teams in London and the USA: "I am looking forward to the journey ahead of us." According to Minderer, he is working on the visual skills "and can hardly wait to get started. There's a lot to do!"

Microsoft has been operating the Mixed Reality & AI Zurich Lab in Zurich since 2019. It is headed by Professor Marc Pollefeys. The computer scientist from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich is also head of the Microsoft Spatial AI Lab Zurich, a research and development team for computer vision and machine learning. This has also set itself the task of equipping Microsoft Copilot with spatial perception and thinking skills. ce/mm