Photo: © PHOENIQS
Sovereignty does not arise in the cloud – but in one place.
The question of where data is processed is increasingly determining who retains control over it.
uptownBasel now provides a concrete answer to this: Switzerland’s most powerful commercial AI supercomputer – operated by PHOENIQS – has gone live on campus.
With 192 NVIDIA H100 GPUs and up to ten times the computing power of standard systems, the new infrastructure enables companies, research organisations and public institutions to run sophisticated AI applications under Swiss jurisdiction – without relying on foreign hyperscalers.
Photo: © uptownBasel
Topping-out ceremony for Building 8: another building block for the industry of tomorrow
With the topping-out ceremony for Building 8, uptownBasel has reached another significant milestone. It is visible proof that more than just a single project is taking shape here: a place where innovation, research and entrepreneurship come together. It is not just the pace that is remarkable: the building was completed in just 2 years and 7 months. It is also remarkable that there was still scope for bold decisions. For example, the existing hall was dismantled and parts of it – including steel girders – were reused rather than demolished. In addition, an exceptionally high proportion of recycled concrete – 40 per cent – was used across all structural elements. Watch the video»
Photo: © arbel GmbH, Barbara Ertl
When it comes to the AI supercomputer, security has two aspects:
a physical one and a digital one.
Physical: Fire protection for the AI supercomputer
A supercomputer never sleeps: it runs round the clock, generates enormous amounts of waste heat and represents a significant asset. This places very different demands on fire safety compared to a traditional office building. We spoke to fire safety expert Stefan Bühlmann about the protection concept for the PHOENIQS AI supercomputer – from two-stage early detection to the nitrogen extinguishing system – and what this has to do with the quantum computer next door.
Digital: Security and Resilience of an AI Supercomputer
For AI applications in corporate and research environments, a failure is not merely an inconvenience, but a genuine risk. The PHOENIQS AI supercomputer has therefore been designed from the ground up with resilience in mind: a highly redundant network design ensures that no single server, cable or switch becomes a weak point – if one component fails, alternative paths automatically take over. The system is complemented by hardware security modules that render cryptographic keys inaccessible even if the hardware is stolen.
Security is not a state — it is a process
How does an entire campus react when an emergency drill is carried out? The recent evacuation drill at uptownBasel tested precisely that – the alert procedure, evacuation and cooperation between all those involved under realistic conditions. In this interview, Zelihe Alidemaj discusses what went well, where there were still gaps, and why safety on a growing campus is never a finished project.
Photo: © arbel GmbH, Bela Böke
People at uptownBasel
Seven Questions – Seven Answers
Who are the people on campus? In our latest interview: Stefan Bühlmann, VKF fire safety expert, safetyfocus GmbH
Reminder: Demo Day
The fourth and fifth cohorts of the QAI Accelerator Programme are in full swing.
The next Demo Day will take place on 17 September. Add to calendar »
We wish you a lovely summer and look forward to bringing you the latest news from the uptownBasel campus later this August.
Thank you very much for your interest
The uptownBasel team