MILAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lenovo and world football (soccer) association Football Club Internazionale Milano (Inter) have upgraded their multi-year partnership taking the prized back-of-shirt placement on the team’s iconic jersey, starting in the 2021/2022 season. Lenovo has been the official Global Technology Partner since 2019, where it has been instrumental in transforming the club’s digital experience, providing both Inter’s Suning Training Center in Appiano Gentile and their headquarters with vital smarter technology.
From servers, data management, storage and smart collaboration devices, through to laptops, monitors and accessories, as part of the upgraded partnership Lenovo will be supporting Inter with technology to gather and manage large amounts of data, transform operations, and deliver better results on and off the pitch. Lenovo’s smarter tech enables Inter to digitize historical archives and documents for easier data access.
Inter’s heritage is second to none. The only club to participate in the top-flight of Italian football since its inception in 1909, they have been crowned champions of the European cup three times. With 19 Serie A titles to their name, they are the reigning Italian champions.
Lenovo’s partnership has delivered on a number of operational performance improvements for Inter since 2019:
- Inter’s data processing performance and speed has improved by 20 percent, managing over 100 million GPS data points collected over the past two seasons during training, including 60 million player-related data points that must be wrangled
- The computational power of Lenovo’s servers has reduced the time it takes Inter to process reports by 25 percent
- Lenovo data storage is fundamental to supporting 50,000 hours of digital video made available as part of the Media Asset Management (MAM), enabling the hosting of 400 terabytes of digital content on the Inter digital archive
- Provides one of the most advanced performance analysis work-flows in Italy, enabling improved stability, flexibility, scalability and security
Shirt Sponsorship
The upgraded shirt sponsorship deal elevates the union of the two iconic brands and their shared values in high performance and relentless innovation. The Lenovo logo’s strategic placement in the coveted back-of-shirt spot on the team’s jersey will lead to a significant increase in brand visibility, including in both Serie A and Coppa Italia.
Global Technology Partner
The past two years have seen Lenovo become deeply embedded in the club as its Global Technology Partner. This includes integrating edge server devices to allow for even greater efficiencies in the collection and processing of data, as well as Lenovo’s high-performance PCs, monitors and smart collaboration devices. The latest agreement will see Lenovo provide Inter with a complete IT solution across hardware, software and support:
- Player Technology: Unrivalled data storage and processing powers will unleash analytics and player development. Structured and unstructured data points will provide tactical insights into player fitness and match analysis. During training sessions, Global Positioning System (GPS) is also used to analyze player speed, distance, workload and the impact on overall team performance, to inform Inter’s training schedule. The data will be used by the team during training sessions to not only review matches, but strategically plan the next games.
- Fan Technology: Bringing over 50 million fans (with more followers in Asia than any other Italian club), Lenovo technology enhances matchday experiences and provides a window into the day-to-day activities of this legend of football. Lenovo’s Media Asset Management (MAM) solution provides Inter with a huge online historical archive of digital assets, including 50,000 hours of video alone, which is easily accessible and customizable on demand. For example, fans can enter their name and date of birth into the Inter digital archive to find out what has happened at the club during their lifetime.
- Business Technology: Lenovo has matched smart technology to Inter’s present need and is providing expertise for the technological development of the club’s headquarters and training facilities. Ushering in the future of work, Lenovo’s world-leading hardware and software solutions include ThinkPad™ laptops, ThinkVision™ monitors and ThinkSmart™ collaboration devices and more for remote/hybrid collaboration and streamlining business operations. Using Lenovo’s smarter tech has allowed for Inter to collaborate seamlessly through web conferencing and remote working.
FC Internazionale Milano Corporate CEO, Alessandro Antonello, said, “The fusion of football and technology is now essential in driving Inter to new heights – from the way we interact with our fans to the tools we have available – this Lenovo partnership sits at the heart of all of it. We’re pleased to deepen our partnership with Lenovo: together we can fuel innovation to make Inter increasingly technologically advanced and forward-looking.”
“Since first coming together, our technology partnership with FC Internazionale Milano has delivered real tangible improvements in performance. More than a sponsorship, this is a meeting of winning mentalities dedicated to continued success both on and off the pitch,” said Luca Rossi, President of Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. “Focused on a bold vision to enable smarter technology for all, we’re eager to continue strengthening our partnership to make real advances in digitally transforming Inter into a club of the future for its next generation of fans and wider community.”
About FC Internazionale Milano
Founded in 1908, FC Internazionale Milano, or Inter, is globally renowned as one of the world's most successful football teams. Chinese group Suning acquired the majority stake of the Club in June 2016. The year 2021 has seen the Club meet two very important milestones: the unveiling of the new Inter Logo, celebrated by the I M narrative, and the victory of the 19th Scudetto, 11 years after the Triplete. The club's trophy haul includes 19 Italian league titles, 7 Coppa Italias, 5 Italian Super Cups, 3 UEFA Cups, 2 European Cups, 1 UEFA Champions League, 2 Intercontinental Cups and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. Inter is one of the seven teams to have done the treble – Champions League, national championship and national cup – in the same year (2010), and the only Italian club never to have been relegated in its 113-year history. Inter is a global brand with more than 400 million followers worldwide. The club boasts a cutting-edge, world-famous youth academy. Over the years Nerazzurri youth teams have won more than 56 trophies, producing many full internationals and dozens of other professionals who have gone on to play in the major European leagues.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$60 billion revenue Fortune Global 500 company serving customers in 180 markets around the world. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, we are developing world-changing technologies that power (through devices and infrastructure) and empower (through solutions and software) millions of customers every day and together create a more inclusive, trustworthy and sustainable digital society for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.
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