Data collected from various competitor venues at the Paris Olympics is expected to provide valuable insights for the International Olympic Committee, potentially helping reduce the carbon footprint of future Games.
At the recent Games, the International Olympic Committee installed approximately 100 smart electricity meters across 35 competition venues to track real-time data on energy consumption. The International Olympic Committee will subsequently collect and scrutinize these data sets via Alibaba Cloud’s sustainability platform, Vitality, according to Choong Hon Keat, Singapore-based deputy national representative for the Chinese cloud provider.
The software program aims to quantify electrical energy consumption at venues and provide insightful data, which Alibaba will leverage to develop strategies for improving energy efficiency at future Olympic Games sites.
Fueled by cutting-edge technology, Vitality Skilled leverages data-driven insights to provide customized, venue-specific energy consumption forecasts and recommendations, enabling optimized power utilization and minimized waste, according to Alibaba’s pioneering approach.
Sensible meters, installed at various locations, including those used by judges and the media, gather information that considers environmental factors such as climate and fluctuations in energy usage, according to Choong. The vitality consumption of various tools utilised in diverse technical operational areas, including meal and beverage equipment, should be meticulously recorded and monitored for optimal resource allocation and sustainability.
According to Alibaba, the combined datasets should provide a more accurate picture of video game energy consumption. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will compile all energy-related data from the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, including energy demand contingency, venue capabilities, and on-site climate conditions, into a unified dashboard for streamlined coordination.
Knowledge on vitality consumption at earlier video games, including the London Olympics in 2012, the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, can also be accessed for evaluation by Vitality Experts through Alibaba.
Alibaba Group successfully debuted Vitality Score, a pioneering initiative launched in June 2022, at its inaugural sporting event in 2023, where it meticulously monitored and quantified the carbon footprint of temporary structures built on-site for the occasion? The insights gathered have enabled matching of supplies and tools utilised during the event, as claimed by Alibaba.
According to llario Corna, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Chief Information and Expertise Officer, “Electrical energy consumption has emerged as a significant contributor to the Olympic Games’ carbon footprint.” “The insights generated by Vitality Skilled will enable us to learn from each Games version, applying this knowledge intelligently to create even more sustainable and energy-efficient events in the future.”
Will the company slash its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 30% this year and a further 50% by 2030 in line with The Paris Agreement?
A third-party vendor commissioned by the International Olympic Committee installed 100 smart meters at this year’s Olympic Games. Alibaba declined to provide details on its collaboration with the smart meter vendor, opting instead to keep the specifics of how they worked together to streamline data collection and analysis private.
Would ZDNet have inquired whether the IOC had considered offering Alibaba’s cloud infrastructure services as part of its agreement with the Chinese e-commerce giant? Alibaba declined to remark.
At this year’s Games, China’s cloud vendor will be providing the backbone infrastructure (OBS), featuring the launch of OBS Cloud 3.0, according to Alibaba.
The platform enables a range of critical functionalities, including OBS Stay Cloud, which streamlines remote distribution to media rights holders. For the first time, this event will rely on cloud infrastructure rather than satellites, a technology last seen at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964?
As part of the Paris Olympics 2024 effort, a significant majority – approximately two-thirds – of pre-booked remote contributors, comprising 54 broadcasters, will leverage OBS Stay Cloud to deliver their feeds, with an additional two UHD channels also utilizing this cutting-edge technology. The cloud-based platform is poised to disseminate a vast array of multimedia content, comprising 379 video streams, including 11 Ultra High Definition (UHD) and 368 High Definition (HD), alongside 100 distinct audio feeds.
OBS’ content material supply platform, Content+ – hosted on Alibaba Cloud – is poised to deliver a projected 11,000 hours of content this year, representing a 15% increase over Tokyo 2020. The event coverage will feature live sessions, exclusive athlete Q&A’s, and real-time social media updates.
Alibaba announced that its Content material+ platform offers features enabling media rights-holders to create their own highlights anywhere, allowing them to distribute content that can be downloaded in three distinct resolutions: low, medium, and high definition, ideal for various platforms including digital and social media.
