NTT is enhancing its technology offering for this month’s Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to bring IoT, edge connectivity and edge computing to the forefront of the famous cycling event.

Japanese firm NTT will bring a greater focus on the combined value of these technologies for real-time analytics. It is integrating IoT and edge technologies to create the world’s largest connected stadium by setting up a digital twin of the race, which will connect layers of real-time information to replicate all aspects of the highly dynamic event digitally.

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 containerised version of NTT’s real-time analytics platform.

This year’s race will also see the integration of ChatGPT in NTT’s AI-driven Digital Human offering, which combines machine learning, speech recognition, natural language processing and conversational AI. The platform has been trained on relevant race information and can access detailed information to enhance the fan experience.

“Combining IoT and edge unlocks a new level of operational excellence and one that can’t be achieved in isolation,” said Shahid Ahmed, executive vice president at NTT. “Capturing, processing and analysing 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 and media at event organiser ASO, added: “Having worked with NTT for the past 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 organisation’s challenges.”

Following the announcement last year of the integration of NTT. and NTT Data to create a $30bn IT services powerhouse, NTT’s technology partnership with both the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift now falls under the NTT Data brand.