Global AI Specialist · Microsoft Switzerland

Christian Bucher

Senior Solutions Lead Specialist at Microsoft, bridging cutting-edge artificial intelligence with real-world industry impact. A pioneer of AI for Good initiatives — from revolutionising salmon aquaculture in Norway's Arctic seas and mapping ghost nets across the Baltic, to transforming urban infrastructure through intelligent smart city platforms.

View Key Projects Get In Touch
18+ Years Experience
3 Landmark Projects
94% AI Accuracy
20t+ Ghost Nets Removed
CB
Christian Bucher
🏢
Microsoft Switzerland
Sr Solutions Lead & Global AI Specialist
◆ Smart Cities ◆ Microsoft Azure ◆ ABB Industrial IoT ◆ Digital Twins ◆ Aquaculture Technology ◆ Sustainability & Net Zero ◆ AI for Good ◆ Urban Infrastructure ◆ Machine Learning ◆ Energy Transition ◆ Smart Cities ◆ Microsoft Azure ◆ ABB Industrial IoT ◆ Digital Twins ◆ Aquaculture Technology ◆ Sustainability & Net Zero ◆ AI for Good ◆ Urban Infrastructure ◆ Machine Learning ◆ Energy Transition
01 — Featured Work

Landmark Projects

Three transformative initiatives reshaping industries — in partnership with ABB, WWF Deutschland, and the Microsoft AI for Good Lab.

★ Idea Initiator & Project Lead — Start to Finish
Smart Infrastructure · ABB

The ABB Ability™ Platform
Powering Smart Cities

Partnered with ABB on their flagship ABB Ability™ digital intelligence platform — a unified ecosystem connecting every layer of a city’s infrastructure: energy grids, buildings, mobility, water, and public services. The platform delivers real-time visibility and autonomous control across entire urban environments, enabling municipalities to reduce operational costs, cut emissions, and improve citizens’ quality of life through data-driven decision-making.

ABB Ability™ Azure IoT Hub Digital Twins Edge Computing Azure ML Power BI
Watch the ABB Film →
ABB Smart City
Play Video
01
★ Idea Initiator & Project Lead — Start to Finish
Aquaculture · ABB × Norway Royal Salmon

Feeding the World
with AI & ABB Ability™

In collaboration with ABB and Norway Royal Salmon (NRS) — one of Norway’s largest producers at 70,000 tonnes per year — developed an AI-powered fish farming platform using underwater cameras and machine vision to automate biomass estimation, feeding optimisation, and welfare monitoring. Deployed across 30+ Arctic sea cages.

“In just a few months, we went from ideation to the on-site solution installation — showing what is possible when industry expertise meets cloud intelligence.”
— Christian Bucher
ABB Ability™ Azure Computer Vision Azure IoT Edge Biomass AI Norway Royal Salmon
Watch the Film →
AI Salmon Fish Farm
Play Video
70K t
Annual harvest
02
★ Idea Initiator & Project Lead — Start to Finish
Sustainability · WWF Deutschland · Microsoft AI for Good Lab

GhostNetZero.AI —
AI Finds What Eyes Cannot

Led as Microsoft’s liaison the development of GhostNetZero — an AI system detecting abandoned ghost nets on the ocean floor using sonar and underwater imagery. Built with WWF Deutschland, Accenture, and the Microsoft AI for Good Lab, the DeepLabV3 + ResNet50 CNN trained on NVIDIA A100 GPUs achieves 94% detection accuracy.

Ghost nets silently kill over 100,000 marine animals daily, covering 80,000 km² of ocean floor annually. GhostNetZero has enabled removal operations in Germany, France, Estonia, and Sweden — recovering over 20 tonnes of nets.

DeepLabV3 + ResNet50 PyTorch NVIDIA A100 Azure ML WWF Deutschland Microsoft AI for Good
Watch the GhostNetZero Film →
GhostNetZero AI
Play Video
94%
AI Accuracy
20t+
Nets Removed
03
02 — Core Capabilities

Areas of Expertise

Two decades of applied knowledge across enterprise AI, industrial IoT, and sustainability technology.

🌆
Smart Cities
Designing intelligent urban ecosystems that integrate energy, mobility, and public services via ABB Ability™ and Azure Digital Twins.
☁
Azure Cloud
Deep expertise in Azure IoT Hub, Azure ML, Digital Twins, Cognitive Services, and enterprise-scale data platforms.
🌿
AI for Good
Applying machine learning to urgent environmental challenges — ocean pollution, sustainable food production, and net-zero emission targets.
🏭
Industrial IoT
Connecting operational technology with cloud intelligence for predictive maintenance, process automation, and real-time asset monitoring at scale.
🤖
Enterprise AI
Full-cycle AI: from ideation and data strategy to model deployment with PyTorch, Azure ML, and Computer Vision at enterprise scale.
⚡
Energy Transition
Supporting utilities and municipalities toward net zero — intelligent grid management, demand response, and renewable energy integration.
🐟
Aquaculture Innovation
Pioneering AI-driven fish welfare and biomass estimation technology redefining the global standard for sustainable aquaculture.
🌎
Philanthropic AI
Led Microsoft’s EMEA Philanthropy AI practice, deploying AI for Good capabilities to NGOs and purpose-driven organisations across Europe.
03 — Published Work

Publications

Sharing knowledge on data strategy, AI for Good, and digital transformation for mission-driven organisations.

📚
E-Book · Data Strategy · Nonprofit
Harnessing Your Data to Drive
Nonprofit Mission Success
A practical guide for nonprofit and NGO leaders on building data strategies that amplify mission impact — covering data governance, analytics maturity, and AI-readiness for purpose-driven organisations. Written from first-hand experience leading Microsoft’s EMEA Philanthropy AI practice across Europe.
Read E-Book →
04 — Career Path

Professional Journey

From enterprise sales and consulting to leading global AI initiatives at Microsoft — an 18-year career built on technology, impact, and purpose.

Sr Solutions Lead Specialist EMEA
Digital Natives & Unicorn Startups
Microsoft
Oct 2025 – Present
2025
2025
Sr Solution Engineer EMEA
Data & AI
Microsoft
May 2025 – Oct 2025
EMEA Data & AI Lead
Microsoft Philanthropy
Microsoft
Aug 2023 – May 2025
2023
2017
Principal AI & Advanced Analytics
Global AI & Data Lead
Zurich Insurance Group
Apr 2017 – Jul 2023
Country Manager Switzerland
GMC Software
Jul 2014 – Apr 2017
2014
2012
Principal Advisor
Industry Solutions
Microsoft
Jun 2012 – Jul 2014
Client Executive
Enterprise Document Solutions (ALPS)
Hewlett-Packard
Mar 2007 – May 2012
2007
05 — Let’s Connect

Let’s build
something
meaningful.

Whether you’re exploring AI for Good, industrial IoT, smart city solutions, or simply want to connect — I’d love to hear from you.

✉
chbucher@microsoft.com
Send a direct email
in
linkedin.com/in/christianbucher
Connect on LinkedIn