The Paris 2024 Olympics showcased the remarkable contributions of Chinese technology companies. Their innovative applications of cloud computing and artificial intelligence enhanced the quadrennial event, impressing participants, organizers, coaches, officials, spectators, TV and online audiences, media, advertisers, and sponsors. Chinese firms used cloud computing and AI creatively, from immersive live broadcast experiences to athletes’ training.
This helped improve performances and could transform future sporting events. Experts say Chinese companies’ strong participation shows their growing technological prowess and independent innovation capabilities, which will boost their global competitiveness and international recognition.
Alibaba Group’s cloud broadcasting services disseminated more than two-thirds of the live broadcast signals during the Paris Games, a milestone in Olympic broadcast history.
Alibaba Cloud’s media transformation
It marked the shift from traditional satellite broadcasting, first used in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, to cloud computing as the primary method of remote distribution to broadcasters. Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba’s cloud computing arm and a worldwide partner of the Paris Olympics, worked with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to launch OBS Cloud 3.0. This platform helped media outlets obtain and distribute images and videos of the Games. OBS oversees the distribution of event coverage.
With Alibaba Cloud’s global infrastructure, a record 11,000 hours of Olympics footage were distributed to more than 200 countries and regions, reaching billions of viewers worldwide. This cloud-based technology is a game-changer for global media. Before, broadcasters relied on dedicated and more expensive international telecommunication optical circuits.
They spent a lot of time setting up equipment to send live footage halfway across the globe. Now, advances in cloud technology have greatly streamlined this process and reduced costs, further solidifying the global influence of Chinese tech innovations.
