Intel and Alibaba have just announced that the companies are developing athlete tracking technology powered by artificial intelligence that is aimed to be deployed at the Olympic Games 2020 and beyond.

The technology uses Intel hardware and Alibaba cloud computing technology.

Intel and Alibaba having announced this breakthrough on the eve of CES 2019. The technology uses existing and upcoming Intel hardware and Alibaba cloud computing technology to power a cutting-edge deep learning application that extracts 3D forms of athletes in training or competition.

“Optimised to run on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure, Intel developed a novel technology concept called 3D Athlete Tracking that uses AI to analyse video of athletes in ways that are expected to improve both the training process and has the potential to enhance the audience experience during actual competition. This technology has incredible potential as an athlete training tool and is expected to be a game-changer for the way fans experience the Games, creating an entirely new way for broadcasters to analyse, dissect and re-examine highlights during instant replays.” says Navin Shenoy, Intel executive vice president and general manager, Data Center Group.

Computer vision with AI deep learning algorithms will generate a 3D Mesh that enables coaches and trainers to extract intricate real-time biomechanical data from which they can analyse performance and introduce new training enhancements.

(Credit: Intel Corporation)

The combination of computer vision with AI deep learning algorithms will generate a 3D Mesh that enables coaches and trainers to extract intricate real-time biomechanical data — via multiple standard video cameras without the use of special sensors or suits — from which they can analyse performance and introduce new training enhancements.

Specifically, the technology leverages advanced pose modelling techniques and other AI algorithms designed to analyse the biomechanics of an athlete’s movements. The performance is captured with regular video cameras, the AI algorithm is applied with a heavy dose of computing power and a digital model of the performance is created that can be analysed in different ways.

Intel and Alibaba, together with partners, aim to deliver the first AI-powered 3D athlete tracking during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The partnership seeks to provide athletes with new training data and analysis and provide fans insight into how world-class athletes perform and compare against one another.

“We are proud to partner with Intel on the first-ever AI-powered 3D athlete tracking technology where Alibaba contributes its best-in-class cloud computing capability and algorithmic design,” said Chris Tung, CMO, Alibaba Group. “With our technological advancements, Alibaba is transforming the sports media and broadcasting industries. We continue to collaborate with industry leaders and drive innovations to create new experiences for the world to enjoy.”

The Olympic endeavour is the latest collaboration between Intel and Alibaba. Recently, Alibaba deployed Intel’s latest processor and memory technology to help power the 11.11 Alibaba Global Shopping Festival. The festival set a record $30.8 billion of gross merchandise volume in transactions within 24 hours, and has exploded past both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in popularity and sales.

(Credit: Intel Corporation)

The Alibaba Global Shopping Festival places a lot of demands on Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure to perform real-time processing of massive spikes of data and to support heavy amounts of traffic visiting its website. To meet the computing demand, Alibaba deployed next-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors along with Intel Optane DC persistent memory in its production environment. This new Intel platform can efficiently process massive amounts of data in real-time, enabling Alibaba’s digital commerce applications to deliver a smooth, responsive user experience.

Alibaba’s highly interactive and data-intensive applications require the infrastructure to keep large amounts of hot accessible data in the memory cache to achieve the desired throughput (queries per second) and deliver a smooth and responsive user experiences, especially during peak hours of the Alibaba Global Shopping Festival. The large capacity of Intel Optane DC persistent memory allowed more data to be stored closer to the processor, allowing for significantly higher infrastructure efficiency and lower total cost of ownership.

CES 2019 runs from the 8th to the 11th of January 2019 in Las Vegas, U.S.

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As CES 2019 began to kick in to gear, Intel leaders, Gregory Bryant, senior vice president, Client Computing Group; Navin Shenoy, executive vice president, Data Center Group; and Professor Amnon Shashua, president and CEO of Mobileye, an Intel company took to the stage to showcase the company’s commitment to continuously improve the computing and communications foundation that will advance the way we experience the world and expand human potential.

The company made several announcements spanning PCs and new devices to diverse growth segments including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and autonomous driving (AD). And Intel’s leaders discussed the innovation necessary across the data center, cloud, network and edge to enable the new user experiences and form factors of the future.

Intel showcased its latest Intel Xeon Scalable products, shipping today with advanced AI and memory capabilities, and 9th Gen Intel Core desktop products. It also announced new 10nm products for PCs, servers and 5G wireless access base stations, the future of new chip designs based on its 3D packaging technology (Foveros).

Intel also spotlighted what’s possible when technologies work seamlessly together across the entire spectrum of computing. Comcast and Intel are working together to bring the connected home to life. New initiatives with Alibaba demonstrate how Intel AI plans to deliver athlete tracking technology during the next Olympics. Mobileye and Ordnance Survey will bring us closer to the realization of smart cities and safer roads.

Gregory Bryant, Intel senior vice president in the Client Computing Group, displays an Ice Lake system-on-chip with 10nm technology during Intel Corporation’s news event at CES 2019 on Jan. 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Intel displays how its technology is the foundation for the world’s most important innovations and advances at CES 2019 from Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. (Credit: Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation)

Intel’s Client Computing Group is uniquely positioned to innovate across the industry because of its broad set of technologies under one roof, enabling Intel to advance the PC and deliver the foundation for the data-centric world today.

The vision for tomorrow’s mobile PC platform is firmly aligned with Intel’s upcoming first volume 10nm PC processor, code-named “Ice Lake.” Ice Lake brings a new level of integration with Intel’s new Sunny Cove microarchitecture, instruction sets to accelerate AI usage and a graphics engine, and Intel Gen11 graphics to improve graphics performance for richer gaming and content creation experiences. Intel’s OEM partners are expected to have new devices with Ice Lake on shelves by holiday 2019.

Intel also announced Project Athena, an innovation program and new set of industry specifications developed to help usher in a new class of advanced laptops designed to enable new experiences and capitalize on next-generation technologies, including 5G and artificial intelligence. From delivering the first connected PC with integrated Wi-Fi in the Intel Centrino platform to driving mainstream adoption of super thin and light designs, touchscreens, and 2 in 1 form factors with Ultrabook, Intel is uniquely positioned to be the catalyst in delivering the next-gen PC experience. Combining world-class performance, battery life and connectivity in sleek, beautiful designs, the first Project Athena devices are expected to be available in the second half of this year.

Musicians Kawehi (left) and Kevin Doucette (center) talk with Gregory Bryant, Intel senior vice president in the Client Computing Group, about the music they produce using Intel technology during Intel Corporation’s news event at CES 2019 on Jan. 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Intel displays how its technology is the foundation for the world’s most important innovations and advances at CES 2019 from Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. (Credit: Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation)

Intel is accelerating client innovation by taking new approaches to hybrid CPU architecture and packaging technologies. At CES 2019, Intel provided a sneak peek of a new client platform, code-named “Lakefield,” featuring the first iteration of its Foveros 3D packaging technology. This hybrid CPU architecture enables combining different pieces of IP that might have previously been discrete into a single product with a smaller motherboard footprint, which allows OEMs more flexibility for thin and light form factor design. Lakefield is expected to be in production this year.

Intel introduced new additions to the 9th Gen Intel Core processors that expand the family for a broader spectrum of desktop products. These processors deliver world-class performance to unlock incredible new capabilities and experiences for content creators and gamers at all levels. The first of the new 9th Gen Intel Core desktop processors is expected to be available starting this month.

Gregory Bryant, Intel senior vice president in the Client Computing Group, displays a “Lakefield” reference board during Intel Corporation’s news event at CES 2019 on Jan. 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Lakefield features a hybrid CPU architecture with Intel’s Foveros 3D packaging technology. Intel displays how its technology is the foundation for the world’s most important innovations and advances at CES 2019 from Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. (Credit: Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation)

Additionally Intel announced the Intel Nervana Neural Network Processor for Inference, or NNP-I. This new class of chip is dedicated to accelerating inference for companies with high workload demands and is expected to go into production this year. Facebook is also one of Intel’s development partners on the NNP-I. Additionally, Intel is expected to have a Neural Network Processor for Training, code-named “Spring Crest,” available later this year.

Intel also disclosed it is expanding its decade-long investment in network infrastructure with new 10nm-based network system on chip (SoC), code-named “Snow Ridge,” that has been developed specifically for 5G wireless access and edge computing. This network SoC is intended to bring Intel architecture into wireless access base stations and allow more computing functions to be distributed out at the edge of the network. Snow Ridge is expected to be available in the second half of this year.

Navin Shenoy (left), Intel executive vice president in the Data Center Group, speaks with Dr. Paul Kruszewski, CEO and founder of Wrnch, a company that tracks human movement using artificial intelligence, during Intel Corporation’s news event at CES 2019 on Jan. 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Intel displays how its technology is the foundation for the world’s most important innovations and advances at CES 2019 from Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. (Credit: Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation)

Intel and Comcast are laying the foundation to deliver new immersive experiences in the home.

It is estimated that each person in North America will have 13 or more connected devices by 2022, and demands are increasing for high-resolution content streaming, gaming and more. The collaboration between Intel and Comcast will deliver faster speeds, more capacity and responsive networks that will bring new immersive experiences to millions of people, including during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. For the next wave of gigabit and beyond broadband, Intel is working with cable industry leaders on a global standard for 10 Gigabit technology and is starting to test this in lab settings. Next up, Comcast and Intel are also working together to develop Wi-Fi 6-enabled technologies.

From next-generation communications to a new era of computing, Intel technology is the foundation for the world’s most important innovations and advances.

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