AWS needs no introduction to readers of Technology Magazine but we rarely get an opportunity to look closely at how it serves the sports sector .

All major sports draw in a huge supporter base that they want to nurture and support . Technology is the key to every major sports organization and enabling this is the driving force for AWS , says Matt Hurst , Head of Global Sports Marketing and Communications for AWS . “ In sports , as in every industry , machine learning and artificial intelligence and high performance computing are helping to usher in the next wave of technical sports innovation .”

AWS approaches sports in three principal areas . “ The first is unlocking data potential : leagues and teams hold vast amounts of data and AWS is enabling them to analyze that data at scale and make better , more informed decisions . The second is engaging and delighting fans : with AWS fans are getting deeper insights through visually compelling on-screen graphics and interactive Second Screen experiences . And the third is rapidly improving sports performance : leagues and teams are using AWS to innovate like never before !”

Among the many global brands that partner with AWS are Germany ’ s Bundesliga , the NFL , F1 , the PGA Tour and of course NASCAR . NASCAR has worked with AWS on its digital transformation ( migrating it ’ s 18 petabyte video archive containing 70 years of historical footage to AWS ), to optimize its cloud data center operations and to enable its global brand expansion . AWS Media Services powers the NASCAR Drive mobile app , delivering broadcast-quality content for more than 80 million fans worldwide . The platform , including AWS Elemental MediaLive and AWS Elemental MediaStore , helps NASCAR provide fans instant access to the driver ’ s view of the race track during races , augmented by audio and a continually updated leaderboard . “ And NASCAR will use our flagship machine learning service Facemaker to train deep learning models to enhance metadata and video analytics .”