Alibaba Cloud Expands AI and Cloud Footprint at 2026 Winter Olympics
February 11, 2026
The integration of advanced cloud and artificial intelligence technologies has become a critical component for delivering global sporting spectacles, transforming broadcast production, fan engagement, and operational scalability. The 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina mark the latest and most significant step in this digital evolution, powered by a deepening partnership with Alibaba Cloud. Alibaba Cloud, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) preferred cloud partner since 2017, is working alongside the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to deploy an expanded suite of cloud-native and AI-driven solutions for the Italy-based Games. This initiative builds upon the foundational work at Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, and Paris 2024, accelerating the IOC's strategic shift toward a fully cloud-based, AI-enhanced broadcasting model. The core objective is to enhance the global viewing experience, streamline complex production workflows, and pioneer new methods for content management and archival. A key innovation is the 'Real Time 360 Replay' system, which utilizes an AI algorithm to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of athletic moments in just 15 to 20 seconds, enabling dynamic replays with fluid camera movement. Furthermore, OBS is developing an Automatic Media Description (AMD) system powered by Alibaba's Qwen large language model to automate content tagging and description. The broadcasting backbone remains the OBS Live Cloud platform, which has fully replaced traditional satellite links. For the 2026 Games, this core distribution platform is supporting 39 broadcasters with a total of 427 live video feeds. Additionally, the OBS Olympic Video Player (OVP), hosted on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure, will deliver high-definition streams, democratizing professional-grade broadcast capabilities for smaller rightsholders. Dr. Feifei Li, SVP of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group and President of International Business, stated, "Each Olympic Games presents unique challenges in scale, geography, and complexity. For Milano Cortina 2026, we are applying cloud and AI capabilities to make broadcasts more dynamic, workflows more efficient, and Olympic moments more accessible to audiences around the world." The implications of this expanded technological partnership are profound for the media and broadcast industry. It demonstrates a mature, at-scale implementation of cloud and AI that moves beyond experimentation into core operational infrastructure. Ilario Corna, Chief Technology and Information Officer of the IOC, emphasized this shift, noting, "Leveraging Alibaba’s cloud-based technologies, we have progressed way beyond digitalization for efficiency to using technologies to transform the entire Olympic experience through AI innovations." The deployment sets a new benchmark for live event production, showcasing how AI can create intelligent systems for content preservation and fan interaction. This milestone for Alibaba Cloud comes as the IOC prepares for a provider transition; the 2028 Los Angeles Games have already selected Google Cloud as the official cloud partner, highlighting the competitive and strategic significance of such global sporting contracts for major cloud hyperscalers.
Source: datacenterdynamics
