International Olympic Committee

29 April 2024 – Worldwide Olympic Partner Intel has unveiled a range of innovations, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), that it will introduce for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 to enhance engagement for fans, organisers, athletes and viewers around the world.

These new, AI-driven technologies, powered by Intel hardware and software, will provide immersive and interactive on-site experiences, while also helping to improve universal accessibility and demonstrate how AI can enrich Olympic broadcast coverage.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the world’s biggest showcase for the best athletes to push the boundaries of possibility and do things we never thought possible,” said Sarah Vickers, leader of Intel’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Office. “This summer, Intel will accelerate its mission of bringing ‘AI Everywhere’ using Intel solutions at Paris 2024, showcasing the powerful potential of technology and AI to create immersive and interactive experiences at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 for millions around the world.”

Ilario Corna, Chief Information Technology Officer at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), added: “Our partnership with Intel has propelled us into a realm where emerging technologies, powered by artificial intelligence, are reshaping the world of sport for spectators, athletes, IOC staff and Partners. Through their AI-powered solutions, Intel has enabled us to deploy AI faster than ever before. Together, in Paris, our collaboration will create an Olympic experience like never before, embodying our shared commitment to building a better world through sport.”

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Immersive on-site experiences

During the Games, AI applications powered by Intel processors and software solutions will demonstrate the potential of technology to benefit athletes, coaches and spectators.

This includes an interactive, AI-powered fan activation to take spectators on a journey of becoming an Olympic athlete. Trained on Intel® Gaudi® accelerators, running on Intel® Xeon® processors with built-in AI acceleration, and optimised with Intel OpenVINO™, the experience will use AI and computer vision to analyse athletic drills and match each participant’s profile to a specific Olympic sport.

Intel’s technology is also driving advances in universal accessibility for the visually impaired. Leveraging AI built on Intel Xeon, 3D models of both the Team USA High Performance Centre in Paris and the International Paralympic Committee headquarters in Bonn, Germany, will allow indoor and voice navigation via a smartphone application.

Revolutionary 8K livestreaming

Paris 2024 will be the first edition of the Olympic Games to use Intel Xeon processors to showcase an end-to-end 8K livestreaming experience, providing a glimpse of the future of low-latency, high-definition livestreaming over the internet.

Broadcast servers powered by the latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors with Intel® AI Deep Learning Boost technology will take just milliseconds to encode and compress the live signal produced by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) in 8K resolution, which offers four times the resolution of Ultra HD 4K.

An 8K OTT signal will then be delivered in just seconds to the latest Intel-based PCs and laptops connected to 8K TVs in selected locations around the world, demonstrating the potential for viewers to enjoy an unrivalled livestreaming experience at future Games, featuring the highest broadcast-grade quality.

Paris 2024 will also see AI automation being used to enable broadcasters to bring more customised digital content to viewers faster than ever. OBS Automatic Highlights Generation, trained on the Intel® Geti™ platform, will be able to package tailored highlights across multiple disciplines and distribute these to fans instantly, creating efficiencies in production and editing.

Preserving the legacy of the Olympic Games

Intel’s AI technology is also being used to help preserve the legacy of the Olympic Games, with neural object cloning set to transform video footage of artefacts in the Olympic collections into 3D digital models. This solution, developed by Intel’s Emergent AI Lab, is being tested to enable the Olympic Museum to bring some of its collections into interactive digital environments, where viewers can rotate and explore pieces of Olympic history, as if they had them in their hands.

Intel will continue to develop and roll out new implementations of AI technology in the lead-up to the Olympic Games, with additional activations expected in the coming months.

Intel has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 2017, working with the IOC to reimagine the future of the Games through new levels of interaction, connectivity and fan experiences.

Last week the IOC announced the launch of its own ground-breaking initiative, the Olympic AI Agenda.