Internet
Switzerland has state-of-the-art internet infrastructure which, combined with other factors, makes it an attractive base for IT companies and for the operation of server centres. More and more Swiss people are using and spending an increasing amount of time on the internet.
Switzerland's infrastructure is high-performance, providing internet access to 99% of households through various technologies (DSL, fibre-optic, cable television and mobile telephony) with a bandwidth of over 100 Mbit/s (download). With just under 50 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, Switzerland topped the OECD rankings in 2022. Switzerland's fibre optic share of total broadband connections is constantly expanding and was just under 10% below the OECD average in 2022.
The data volume in mobile communications increases many times each year: from 2010 to 2021, it increased by a factor of 200. Growth was particularly strong in rural regions, where mobile data is often the only fast internet connection.
Highly developed infrastructure, leading research institutions such as ETH Zurich, and a favourable business tax regime make Switzerland a sought-after location for IT companies such as Google. Geneva hosts some two dozen international organisations involved in internet policy and governance, including the International Telecommunication Union.
High density of data centres in Switzerland
Switzerland has one of the highest densities of data centres in Europe. This is due to its political stability and low susceptibility to natural disasters, as well as its secure power supply, fast internet and relatively strong data protection. Over 120 data centres are already in operation in Switzerland, with more under construction. The growing demand for cloud storage space and the increased use of AI are helping to drive this growth. As an up-and-coming AI hub, Zurich alone is home to over 30 data centres. The increasingly powerful centres not only require a lot of electricity, but also a lot of water to cool the server farms. This is why ecological aspects such as efficient, closed cooling circuits, the use of waste heat as district heating and solar roofs are taken into account when building new centres in Switzerland. The development of more efficient chips should also reduce power consumption.
One example of this development is the ‘Alps’ supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano, in the canton of Ticino. It is one of the most powerful computers in the world and is used for weather forecasting, climate research and AI. Its energy-efficient cooling system, which utilises water from Lake Lugano, is particularly noteworthy.
Swiss internet habits
Virtually the entire population in Switzerland now uses the internet at least once a week. Although younger generations have been surfing on a daily basis for years, three quarters of people aged 65 to 74 and over half of those over 75 now routinely use the internet. On average, the Swiss spend around 5.7 hours a day online, mostly on their smartphones. While younger people spend an above-average amount of time online (more than 8 hours a day), especially on social media, the time spent online decreases sharply as the age of users rises.
In Switzerland, the internet is primarily used for communication, information searches, price comparisons and the purchase of products or services – and increasingly also for AI applications. Children access the internet mainly for streaming, online searches and gaming and in most cases use a smartphone to go online.