The Tech-Heavy Olympics: How AI and Cloud Computing Are Reshaping Milano Cortina 2026

On Friday night, as Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the Olympic cauldron at Milan's Arco della Pace, a second flame ignited simultaneously 160 kilometers away in Cortina d'Ampezzo's Piazza Angelo Dibona. It was a first in the Winter Games' history — and it required one of the most complex live broadcast productions ever attempted for the Olympics.

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) united a multi-venue production with mobile storytelling powered by Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphones. For the first time, the Ceremony unfolded simultaneously across four distinct venues, requiring a new production model to deliver a single, unified story to global audiences. The technical achievement set the tone for what organizers are calling the most digitally advanced Winter Games in history. With 116 medal events in total and more than 2,900 athletes competing, the technology underpinning these Games may prove as significant as the athletic performances themselves.

The 2026 Games are the first Olympics co-hosted by two cities, with competitions held across 13 venues in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. That sprawling geography created problems that only aggressive technological investment could solve. "Samsung's innovation is fundamental in bridging the distances between our venues, transforming the vast territory of Milano Cortina 2026 into a single, unified arena," said Andrea Varnier, CEO of Milano Cortina 2026.

The AI Behind the Athletes

Artificial intelligence is entering the Olympic arena at these Games, bringing a layer of machine intelligence to an event long defined as a showcase of human performance. From athlete training and broadcast production to fan engagement and judging, AI systems are increasingly embedded in how the games are prepared for, experienced and evaluated.

The most visible deployment comes from Google Cloud and U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The system uses computer vision and large language models to convert ordinary video footage into detailed biomechanical insights, allowing coaches and athletes to analyze rotations, takeoff angles, airtime and landings without specialized motion-capture equipment.

Traditionally, high-precision motion capture technology required specialized suits and controlled environments. This experimental tool changes the game by turning a standard smartphone into a professional biomechanics lab. Using Google DeepMind's research into spatial intelligence, the platform maps an athlete's motion directly from 2D video images — even through bulky winter gear. The tool processes this data in minutes, often before the athlete even finishes their next chairlift ride.

Practical results have already emerged. Halfpipe snowboarder Maddie Mastro, known for her signature "crippler" trick, used the AI system to identify subtle flaws in arm positioning during landings that were not apparent through traditional video review. By adjusting technique based on AI feedback, athletes can make data-backed refinements earlier in training cycles.

"Our collaboration with U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the blueprint for a global shift in how humans move, train, and recover, moving beyond historical data to provide athletes with near real-time, prescriptive coaching," said Oliver Parker, vice president of global generative AI at Google Cloud.

The technology extends beyond U.S. athletes. AI systems being explored for Olympic judging focus on breaking down complex athletic movements into measurable components, offering officials a data-driven reference point in events where scoring has historically depended on human interpretation. AI systems can measure body angles, rotation speeds and airtime with precision that exceeds the human eye, flagging potential scoring issues or technical details that might otherwise be missed.

Alibaba's Cloud Empire

Alibaba Cloud has unveiled a suite of AI-powered tools for the Milano Cortina Winter Games, marking the first time a large language model (LLM) will be embedded into the Olympics' digital infrastructure. The company has been the IOC's cloud partner since 2017, but this represents the most ambitious integration yet.

"Olympic AI Assistants" powered by Alibaba's Qwen large language model will be deployed on the International Olympic Committee's global platforms to provide multilingual conversational support for fans seeking schedules, results and event information in real time via chat interfaces. Beyond fan engagement, the same AI models will also support internal Olympic operations.

The broadcast impact may be more dramatic. At the center of the effort is an upgraded real-time 360-degree replay system that uses AI to separate athletes from visually complex backgrounds such as snow and ice. The tech can generate immersive 3D replays in roughly 15 to 20 seconds. A new feature, dubbed "Spacetime Slices," combines multiple moments of an athlete's movement into a single visual, offering viewers a clearer look at technique and performance. The system is expected to be used across 17 winter sports.

Behind the scenes, AI will also change how Olympic footage is processed and found. OBS is developing an automatic media description system that identifies athletes and key moments, then tags and summarizes video almost instantly. Broadcasters will be able to search footage using natural-language queries — such as asking for a specific medal-winning performance — rather than manually sorting through hours of content.

The progression from Tokyo 2020 to Milano Cortina tells a story. The transformation began at Tokyo 2020 with the debut of OBS Cloud, enabling broadcasters to access Olympic content remotely without deploying massive on-site teams. By Beijing 2022, over 20 broadcasters were using the platform, achieving a 40% reduction in on-site personnel compared to PyeongChang 2018. At Paris 2024, OBS Cloud 3.0 processed a record 11,000 hours of footage.

Smartphones as Broadcast Infrastructure

Perhaps nothing signals the technological shift more clearly than Samsung's role. Samsung announced that Galaxy S25 Ultra devices would be hardwired into the Opening Ceremony broadcast on February 6, working alongside Olympic Broadcasting Services to capture angles traditional cameras can't reach.

Galaxy S25 Ultra units were positioned on jibs, in stadium stands, and inside athlete entrance tunnels at Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium. All footage streamed wirelessly over 5G directly into the live broadcast feed.

To bring the multi-venue concept to life, OBS deployed more than 50 cameras, including robotic systems, jibs, cranes, cable cameras, three helicopters and a drone. The smartphones were integrated as supplementary capture devices — a first for Olympic coverage.

For the first time, drones will take viewers down a luge track, capturing the sport's speed and intensity in real time. The new generation of drone technology allows for safe use whilst staying very close to the action, delivering images never before seen in Olympic sports coverage.

The volunteer workforce received its own tech upgrade. Volunteers across Olympic venues carry Galaxy devices loaded with Interpreter, Samsung's AI-powered translation tool. The feature processes translations directly on the device rather than relying on cloud connectivity — critical when dealing with spotty network coverage across mountain venues. This lets volunteers communicate naturally with athletes, officials, and visitors across language barriers without latency issues.

The Cost of Innovation

All this technology comes with a price tag. Organizers announced an operating budget of about $1.9 billion, an increase of $112 million from the previously stated amount. That figure doesn't include the larger infrastructure story.

Estimates for the 2026 Games' total cost currently sit at around €5.2–5.7 billion, a figure that includes direct operating costs, investments in infrastructure and legacy projects. S&P Global Ratings puts the overall organization and investment envelope at roughly €5.7–€5.9 billion and notes that public spending covers about 63% of the total. S&P also estimates an approximately 80% budget overrun versus initial planning assumptions, driven by inflation, energy price increases, and design changes.

Unlike recent Winter Games in Sochi (2014), Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022), most of the 2026 venues are in place and have been used for years for World Cups and world championships. Russia reportedly spent $51 billion on the 2014 Sochi Games, a price tag that is expected to stand as an Olympic record for many years.

Historical examples such as the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics — which left long-term debts and underused infrastructure — are referenced as cautionary tales in current discussions on budgeting. Critics argue that despite some efficiencies sought in planning, the large volume of public investment raises questions about opportunity costs and future maintenance.

What Comes Next

For two weeks beginning Feb. 6, OBS will deliver 1,000 hours of event coverage, along with an additional 5,000 hours of content and highlights. Native coverage will be shot in 4K HDR. Among production advances, the expanded Virtual OB Van project is what OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos calls "a breakthrough effort of engineering technology to not rely on the traditional big trucks." OBS has fully transitioned into IP technology, using half the compound space needed previously, as well as far less electricity.

An AI-powered monitoring system that debuted at the Paris 2024 Games is returning to detect and flag abusive messages targeting athletes for removal. During Paris, the system flagged 2.4 million posts from 20,000 social media accounts in more than 35 languages.

The operational efficiency directly impacts future host cities. Paris 2024's International Broadcasting Centre was 13% smaller than Tokyo 2020 and 23% smaller than Rio 2016, proof that cloud infrastructure reduces the physical footprint and financial burden of hosting the Games.

Samsung's been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since Nagano 1998, marking nearly 28 years of Olympic sponsorship. The partnership extends through Los Angeles 2028, covering wireless communications and computing equipment categories — now explicitly including devices with AI, VR, AR, and 5G capabilities. The bet is that what works in Milano Cortina will become standard by the time the Games reach California.

Whether the technology delivers on its promise will become clear over the next two weeks. The athletes remain the draw. But the infrastructure supporting them — invisible to most viewers — represents a test case for how sports broadcasting, training, and judging may evolve across every major competition. The medals will be counted in gold, silver, and bronze. The technological legacy will take longer to assess.