Physical AI brings artificial intelligence into robots and autonomous vehicles — an area where CertX is developing cutting-edge expertise.

How do you stay agile as your business grows? This is the challenge currently facing CertX. In late 2024, the SGS group became the majority shareholder, ushering in a landmark new chapter for the School of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg (HEIA-FR) spin-off. “We continue to operate independently,” Vincent Sabot, CertX CEO, explains. “We’re a startup inside a large corporation.”

Thanks to this arrangement, the company, which was founded in 2018, retains the agility of a small-scale venture while benefiting from the investment capacity and global network of its parent company. In China and Indonesia, for example, CertX can rely on local SGS teams instead of establishing its own structures there. “This lets us focus on building out our existing technical expertise.”

The Fribourg-based SME can now access a global playing field. It already has some 20 employees and 40 or so external auditors operating in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. In Jerusalem, it is conducting safety and cybersecurity inspections on a vast array of components and infrastructure—rolling stock, signaling, a control center, power systems, and tunnels—destined for the city’s new Blue Line tram system.

Another, but very different, partner is NVIDIA. CertX works closely with the computing giant and has joined its Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab ecosystem, which is dedicated to the safety of physical AI systems, such as autonomous mobility solutions and robotics. For Vincent Sabot, this is a “seal of approval” for CertX’s capabilities and a “lighthouse deal” that will raise the firm’s international profile.

This blue-ribbon partnership, however, has not bred complacency at CertX. “Technical expertise and the ability to deliver are front and center in our discussions. That’s why companies like NVIDIA choose to work with us.”

Convergence of expertise

CertX is banking on the convergence of three of its areas of expertise—operational safety, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence—to drive its next growth phase. Historically, these operated in silos, but that is all about to change. “Autonomous vehicles, robotics and smart infrastructure increasingly require the simultaneous consideration of all three. That’s where CertX brings real added value because we have always taken an integrated approach to projects.”

In terms of growth plans, CertX has North America in its sights since opening a branch in Montreal in 2025. It is also rapidly scaling up operations in Asia and the Middle East.

Despite its international expansion, the company’s center of gravity remains in Fribourg. With its headquarters on the bluefactory site, CertX can draw on talent pools from both French- and German-speaking Switzerland and maintains close ties with HEIA-FR. “We benefit from the unwavering support of the Fribourg ecosystem. Even though our activities now take us all over the place, we are keeping our base here.”