IT infrastructure and services company NTT is to create a digital twin of the Tour de France bike race, which starts next month (July 1), with a bunch of IoT sensing and AI sense-making technologies to provide a live visual rendering of the event including ‘real-time’ read-outs of sundry race stats, for consumption by race teams, broadcasters, and spectators. NTT will do the same for the women’s race (Tour de France Femmes), which starts threes weeks later (July 23).
NTT has been technology partner to the Tour de France for nine years; last year, it extended the arrangement to the Tour de France Femmes, as well. It said the 2023 events will make use of IoT and AI technologies, sprung by edge-based connectivity and computing solutions. It said it will “create the world’s largest ‘connected stadium’ in the process, presenting “layers of real-time information to replicate all aspects of the highly dynamic event digitally”.
It will also integrate ChatGPT, the modish AI chatbot by OpenAI, into a “digital human solution” – which combines machine learning, speech recognition, natural language processing, and conversational AI, and has been trained on relevant race information to “access detailed information to further enhance the fan experience”.
A statement said: “At the core of NTT’s data-gathering are the bikes themselves. Using geolocation, they will transmit a constant stream of latitude, longitude, and speed data over radio networks to race motorcycles or a plane. A microwave signal will then carry the data to the end of the race, where a truck-based edge-computing device will run a containerized version of NTT’s real-time analytics platform.”
The deal is led by NTT DATA, following the integration of NTT Ltd. and NTT DATA last year. It is working with Amaury Sport Organisation, which manages the Tour De France.
Shahid Ahmed, group executive vice president for new ventures and innovation at NTT, said: “Combining IoT and edge unlocks a new level of operational excellence and one that can’t be achieved in isolation. Capturing, processing, and analyzing data alongside the unity of these technologies is essential for making every bike a ‘digital twin’ which is the ultimate demonstration of edge computing in action.”
Julien Goupil, head of partnerships at Amaury Sport Organisation, said: “[Over] nine years, we’ve seen data become an increasing asset to better explain the race to a mass audience, strongly engage our fans, improve their fan experience and support our race organization’s challenges.”
