The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are unfolding not just on the snowy slopes and ice rinks of Italy, but also within the invisible, powerful realm of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, fundamentally reshaping how the world experiences the pinnacle of winter sports. Alibaba Cloud, in a landmark collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Broadcast Service (OBS), is deploying a sophisticated suite of technologies centered around its advanced Qwen large language model (LLM). This initiative marks a significant step in the ongoing evolution toward fully cloud-based broadcasting, moving beyond the foundational work of previous Games to introduce unprecedented levels of operational efficiency and viewer immersion. The goal is to create a more dynamic, personalized, and insightful viewing experience for a global audience, while simultaneously streamlining the complex, behind-the-scenes workflows that bring these iconic moments from the field of play to screens around the world. The technology deployed here is designed to handle the immense scale of the Games, processing petabytes of data in real-time to deliver a seamless and enriched broadcast.
Enhancing The Spectator Experience
Real-Time Immersive Replays
A major leap forward in broadcast technology for the Milano Cortina Games is the upgraded AI-powered Real-Time 360º Replay system, now implemented across an impressive 17 different disciplines. This system dramatically elevates how fans can analyze and appreciate the critical moments of competition. Instead of relying on traditional, fixed-camera replays, the technology can reconstruct key athletic feats in a fully three-dimensional space, completing this complex process in as little as 15 to 20 seconds, making it viable for immediate use in live broadcasts. This rapid turnaround allows broadcasters to offer viewers multi-angle, dynamic perspectives that were previously impossible. The system generates fluid camera movements that can circle an athlete, offering a holistic view of their form and execution. Furthermore, it incorporates striking visual enhancements like stroboscopic effects, which break down rapid movements into a series of distinct images, allowing for a deeper appreciation of the intricate mechanics involved in a ski jump or a figure skating spin. This isn’t just a replay; it is a full-scale digital reconstruction that provides a richer narrative of the athletic achievement.
Innovative Visual Analysis
Building upon the 360-degree replay capabilities, a new feature called “Spacetime Slices” is making its debut, offering a novel way to visualize and understand athletic performance. This innovative tool creates a composite image by layering multiple frames of an athlete’s movement into a single, cohesive visual. For example, viewers can see the entire arc of a snowboarder’s aerial maneuver laid out in one static picture, revealing the precise trajectory and body positioning at every stage of the trick. This visualization provides deeper, more intuitive insight into an athlete’s technique, speed, and form than what can be gleaned from standard video alone. By freezing a sequence of actions in time and space, Spacetime Slices allows commentators, coaches, and fans to dissect and discuss performance with a greater level of detail. It transforms a fleeting moment of athletic brilliance into a tangible piece of data that can be studied and admired, enriching the broadcast with a layer of analytical depth that caters to both casual observers and sports science enthusiasts alike, making the technical complexities of elite sport more accessible and engaging.
Streamlining Broadcast Operations
AI-Driven Content Management
Behind the scenes, the operational efficiency of the Olympic Broadcast Service is receiving a substantial boost from Alibaba’s Qwen LLM, which now powers the Automatic Media Description (AMD) system. This advanced AI is revolutionizing the traditionally labor-intensive process of logging and tagging the vast amounts of video content generated during the Games. Within seconds of an event happening, the AMD system can automatically identify competing athletes, recognize key movements and highlights, and generate detailed, text-based descriptions for the video assets. This automation drastically reduces the manual processing time required by broadcast teams, freeing them up to focus on creative storytelling rather than tedious data entry. The system’s capabilities extend to improving content discovery; OBS teams can use natural language queries to search the extensive video library, allowing them to locate specific clips or moments almost instantaneously. This enhanced searchability is critical in the fast-paced environment of live broadcasting, enabling producers to quickly find and distribute compelling content to a global network of broadcasters.
Intelligent Archiving and Distribution
The logistical foundation supporting this technological showcase is the expanded Live Cloud platform, which provides the robust infrastructure needed to manage the immense scale of the Olympic broadcast. The platform now supports 39 international broadcasters, delivering 428 distinct live video feeds, including 26 feeds in stunning Ultra High Definition (UHD). By centralizing distribution on the cloud, this system significantly reduces the need for expensive on-site hardware and extensive setup times for each broadcaster, while simultaneously improving the reliability and resilience of the feeds. Furthermore, this infrastructure underpins the debut of the Olympic Video Player (OVP), a new turnkey service designed to democratize access to high-quality Olympic coverage. The OVP delivers high-definition live streams and on-demand content, providing smaller broadcasters who may lack extensive resources with a professional-grade digital platform. This initiative helped to ensure that the memorable moments of the Milano Cortina Games reached a wider, more diverse global audience than ever before, reflecting a successful fusion of technological innovation and inclusive broadcasting strategy.
