San Francisco – July 29, 2025
In a time of rapid transformation, Swissnex in San Francisco is sharpening its focus for 2025 on the emerging, complex questions shaping our collective future. From the ethical implications of artificial intelligence to the role of innovation in addressing the climate crisis, our programming explores how science, technology, and the arts can offer new ways of seeing and solving today’s global challenges. With a strong emphasis on cross-cultural exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue, Swissnex in San Francisco continues to serve as a bridge between Switzerland and the United States with four focus topics this year:
AI
Since ChatGPT’s initial release date in November 2022, AI has become the ubiquitous topic in any startup, business or futuristic discussion. Swissnex in San Francisco is right at the epicenter of AI innovation, with over 100 AI-focused events, pitch meetings, and get-togethers held each month, and leading in funding dollars deployed for AI startups.
With strong research expertise centered around the ETH AI Center and its excellence in precision mechanics and advanced industries, Switzerland has equally been recognized as an AI hub, with many AI companies establishing their European foothold in Zurich.
Swissnex in San Francisco bridges those two worlds to drive further innovation and encourage collaboration between those two hubs.
Robotics
In 2025, Swissnex in San Francisco is focusing on robotics with a year-long program exploring the future of intelligent machines through events, collaborations, and exchanges. The Bay Area is experiencing a “Robotics Renaissance,” driven by robots that go beyond mechanical precision to show adaptability, reasoning, and human-like interaction. Powered by large language models, multimodal algorithms, and advanced sensors, robots are evolving from simple tools into perceptive collaborators. Innovations in platforms like NVIDIA’s Omniverse are speeding up this shift by enabling realistic simulations for training and deployment.
The blend of robotics and artificial intelligence, often called physical or spatial AI, is transforming industries and challenging established business models. While Silicon Valley pushes the frontier of AI robotics, Switzerland brings deep expertise in precision engineering, automation, and collaborative systems. At Swissnex in San Francisco, we connect these two innovation hubs by bringing together researchers, startups, and companies to shape what comes next in robotics.
Climate
One of humanity’s greatest challenges of the next decade is climate change, how to mitigate it, how to adapt to it and how to make sense of the new world we live in. Both the San Francisco Bay Area and Switzerland produce incredible climate expertise through research or new technology solutions in the form of new startups. Swissnex in San Francisco continues to foster global dialogue and collaboration on this life changing topic where scale is crucial and cooperation is essential. We are proud to collaborate with SF Climate Week 2025, one of the biggest climate tech gatherings in the US.
Science Communication
Science isn’t just about facts and numbers; it’s about curiosity, wonder, and stories that shape our lives. But too often, the incredible journey behind science stays hidden, leaving people disconnected from understanding and knowledge. Also, science is only powerful if its insights are applied in society and with an ever-growing science scepticism in society, novel approaches to communication and accessibility of knowledge is ever more important.
The Bay area is known for its engaging storytelling, but Switzerland also has new approaches to offer. By working with researchers and highlighting their projects, Swissnex in San Francisco engages the public in understanding scientific discoveries—peeling back layer by layer.
Our event series LAYERS is putting a spotlight on our science communication programming.