How can large enterprises turn AI into measurable business value? The Sunrise Innovation Day 2025 in Opfikon offered a clear answer: connect AI, data, and cloud with the right partners and talent. With keynotes, demos, and solution labs, the event showed how Swiss corporates can move from pilots to production — and why Zurich’s ecosystem is a global benchmark.
Why AI innovation matters for enterprises
AI is no longer a side project — it is becoming the operating system of the modern enterprise. At Sunrise Innovation Day, leaders across telecom, cloud, and software agreed on a common playbook: combine internal engineering with startup speed, cloud-scale platforms, and academic research. As Dr. Klaus L. Fuchs (Rockstar Recruiting) put it, “Startups bring speed; corporates bring scale.”
Who joined the conversation?
Sunrise united speakers and partners across the ecosystem, including Vanessa Cann (AI Hub Europe), Alessandro Santoro (Sunrise), and Dr. Klaus L. Fuchs (Rockstar Recruiting). Technology partners — Accenture, AWS, Amdocs, BMC Software, Buynomics, Cisco, Google, Huawei, Infosys, Microsoft, Nokia, Oracle, Salesforce, SELISE Group — showcased next-gen solutions for infrastructure, automation, and customer experience. Sunrise summarized the impact succinctly: “Collaboration turns ideas into impact.” — Dr. Klaus L. Fuchs, Rockstar Recruiting
Why Zurich? The “Real Mountain View” for enterprise AI
The Greater Zurich Area blends Academia + Startups + Finance + Enterprises into one of the world’s densest AI hubs. With ETH Zurich’s AI Center, 60+ AI startups/year, and industry-focused investors, corporates can prototype faster and scale safer — especially in robotics, drones, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, and applied AI. “AI is becoming the enterprise operating system.” — Dr. Klaus L. Fuchs, Rockstar Recruiting
Enterprise + Startup Partnerships
Sunrise Innovation Day underscored how Swiss corporates partner with AI startups to accelerate transformation. From safety-critical robotics to AI security and energy forecasting, here are selected collaborations that illustrate the model.
| Sector | AI Startup | Enterprise Partner | Partnership Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | ecoRobotix (CH) | RDO Equipment (US) | Deploying AI-guided precision spraying systems for North American farms. |
| Cloud | Inait (CH) | Microsoft (US) | Integrating brain-inspired AI models into Azure for efficient edge computing. |
| Cloud | Lakera (CH) | Dropbox (US) | AI-native security to protect LLM features against prompt injection and related threats. |
| Consulting | Unit8 (CH) | OpenAI (US) | Official services partner helping DACH enterprises integrate OpenAI models into workflows. |
| Defense | Auterion (CH) | Rheinmetall (DE) | Co-developing a standardized OS for autonomous military drones and unmanned systems. |
| Defense | Daedalean (CH) | Leonardo (IT) | AI computer vision for obstacle detection and GPS-free navigation in aircraft. |
| Energy | Jua (CH) | Volue (NO) | Integrating AI-based weather modeling into renewable energy forecasting. |
| Industry | EthonAI (CH) | Siemens (DE) | Autonomous visual inspection and root-cause analytics via Siemens Industrial Edge. |
| Industry | Sevensense (CH) | ABB (CH) | Embedding 3D vision SLAM navigation in ABB’s autonomous mobile robots. |
| Insurance | Calvin Risk (CH) | Aviva (UK) | Model risk quantification and governance for enterprise AI systems. |
| Insurance | Correntics (CH) | UNIQA (AT) | AI-driven climate risk analytics integrated into sustainability advisory. |
| Pharma | Cradle Bio (CH) | Ginkgo Bioworks (US) | Generative AI to accelerate protein engineering and early drug discovery. |
| Pharma | Silver Brain AI (CH) | Roche (CH) | Automating regulatory data entry (IUCLID) with AI-assisted document processing. |
| Security | Fotokite (CH) | Pierce Manufacturing (US) | Tethered drones offering instant aerial views for fire and rescue operations. |
| Security | LatticeFlow (CH) | Actuate (US) | Improving surveillance AI accuracy with robust model diagnostics and tuning. |
| Telecom | Perplexity (US) | Sunrise (CH) | Offering “Perplexity Pro” — an AI-powered assistant for Swiss telecom customers. |
Sunrise Home Security: a live example of corporate AI innovation
Sunrise is introducing an in-house designed smart home security system that combines AI-based detection, automation, and connectivity. The Sunrise Home Security bundle enhances customer safety and opens a new ARPU stream — a clear signal that innovation is possible within established enterprises. “Swiss corporates can build and ship AI products from within.” — Dr. Klaus L. Fuchs, Rockstar Recruiting
What corporates can take away
1) Partner strategically. Pair internal engineering with startup speed to move from pilots to production.
2) Use the local edge. Zurich’s proximity to ETH spin-offs and cloud providers compresses iteration cycles.
3) Make AI trustworthy. Security, governance, and domain depth (e.g., Lakera, Calvin Risk) are differentiators.
4) Build talent flywheels. “Hire founder-minds; build learning teams.” — Dr. Klaus L. Fuchs, Rockstar Recruiting
This post is presented by Rockstar Recruiting. Hire AI & cloud talent with us — or let us help your team move from pilot to production.
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