The roar of the crowd, the spray of the ocean, and catamarans soaring at more than 60 mph, the world’s fastest sailing competition, SailGP, is powered by Oracle Cloud and AI. With real-time performance analytics, advanced tactical insights, and immersive fan experiences, Oracle technologies are helping SailGP transform the sport, giving teams, coaches, and fans unprecedented access to data while setting new standards in operational efficiency and sustainability.

TECHx Media spoke with Matt Lord, Director of Sports Technology at SailGP, to explore how the league is leveraging Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Oracle’s AI-driven analytics to become the most technologically advanced sailing competition in history, redefining what’s possible in sport while driving innovation and sustainability across all aspects of the league.

Oracle Cloud at the Heart of SailGP
Technology is central to SailGP’s operations, and Oracle plays a pivotal role. Innovation is core to the league, and SailGP has partnered with Oracle to power its digital strategy, data management, and fan engagement.

SailGP’s F50 catamarans are extreme IoT devices. Each boat is equipped with 125 sensors generating roughly 35,000 data points per second. All this data is transmitted via private mesh networks, 5G, and low-orbit satellites, then stored and processed on Oracle Autonomous Database through Oracle FastConnect. This enables seamless, low-latency access for teams, coaches, analysts, and broadcast operations.

Across the fleet of 12 boats, SailGP analyzes more than 420,000 data points per second from 1,500 sensors. Oracle’s cloud-powered analytics provide real-time insights for athletes and coaches, improving both performance and safety.

Remote Operations and Sustainable Innovation
Oracle Cloud also underpins SailGP’s remote broadcast and production model. Instead of transporting 30–40 containers to each global venue, SailGP sends real-time data from the boats to a central production hub in London. From there, production, commentary, and officiating are managed remotely, reducing logistical costs, travel, and carbon emissions.

Sustainability extends to race venues, many of which operate carbon-neutrally with solar power and sustainable sourcing. The Impact League, supported by Oracle analytics, incentivizes teams to compete with purpose, making environmental and social responsibility part of the competition itself.

Open Data and Athlete-Centric Competition Powered by Oracle
SailGP’s open data policy is a key differentiator. All performance metrics are shared with teams via Oracle Cloud, ensuring competition is skill-driven rather than reliant on equipment secrets. Access to this data accelerates athlete development, including women sailors like Martina Grell, the league’s first female F50 driver, providing simulators and analytics tools to fast-track training.

AI-Powered Insights for Performance and Safety
Artificial intelligence is integral to SailGP’s technological edge, with Oracle AI tools powering:

• Anomaly detection: Predicting component failures before they occur to prevent accidents.
• AI cameras and tracking: Monitoring boat positions and athlete activity in real time.
• Race smart cameras: Capturing tactical movements around race marks for performance analysis.

Future plans include AI race engineers and coaches, AI chatbots to educate fans, and computer vision for live broadcasts, all leveraging Oracle AI and cloud infrastructure to enhance safety, engagement, and operational efficiency.

Transforming Fan Engagement with Oracle Cloud
Oracle technology also transforms the spectator experience. SailGP’s LiveLine visualizations, powered by Oracle analytics, illustrate race positions, speed, and course boundaries. Beyond that:

• Oracle Insights: Second-screen experience for fans to explore live boat data.
• AR and Apple Vision Pro integrations: Allow fans to overlay race courses in 3D, switch boats, and access multiple viewing angles.
• Interactive mobile apps: Show live positioning, speed, and performance metrics directly on devices.

Data-Driven Business and Audience Insights
Off the water, SailGP leverages Oracle data lakes and warehouses on OCI to centralize fan, ticketing, and merchandise data. Visualization tools like Oracle APEX allow teams and management to analyze this data, while Eloquer powers targeted engagement campaigns. Oracle’s integrated tools enable centralized, insight-driven decision-making, helping teams grow their audience collectively.

Innovation, R&D, and the Future
SailGP’s tech and innovation team, supported by Oracle Cloud and AI, focuses on operational efficiency, athlete performance, and audience growth. Future initiatives include real-time anomaly detection, AI-assisted tactical decision-making, enhanced simulators, and Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) for fan engagement.

Oracle’s Role in Driving Growth
Oracle is not just a technology partner, it’s the backbone of SailGP’s digital transformation. From cloud infrastructure to AI analytics, Oracle enables SailGP to scale, innovate, and deliver data-driven insights for athletes, teams, and fans alike.

“Oracle helps us push boundaries across athlete performance, fan engagement, operational efficiency, and AI-driven insights. Their technology is integral to where we are now and where we aim to go over the next five to ten years,” Lord notes.

SailGP: A Blueprint for Tech-Driven Sport
Through cloud-powered AI, open data, and advanced analytics, SailGP has redefined sailing for athletes, fans, and organizers. Powered by Oracle Cloud, SailGP is not just a sailing competition; it’s a model for the future of technologically advanced, purpose-driven sports worldwide.

TECHx was on the ground at SailGP and spoke with the SailGP data insights team. Watch the full video on TECHx TV to know more: https://youtu.be/nMf0twECgAA

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