For over a decade, NTT Data has partnered with the R&A, the governing body of The Open, a major golf championship.
What began as a project to digitise traditional scoreboards has since evolved into a sophisticated system capable of capturing and displaying real-time data on every aspect of the game.
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This includes tracking each of the 32,000 shots taken during the tournament, via its ShotView technology, providing fans and analysts with access to detailed statistics and insights.
Tom Winstanley, NTT Data UK and Ireland CTO and head of new ventures has been on hand to witness most of the changes taking place at the event and beyond.
“12 years on there’s nothing that beats the NTT Data Wall,” he says.
The wall is a massive digital display situated in the Spectator Village, shows live scores and player statistics and offers detailed, CGI-quality visualisations of the golf course.
It has been firmly at the heart of the technological advancements made by NTT Data since the partnership began.
First introduced in 2014, the wall has become a central feature of the event, drawing huge crowds who enjoy the experience while relaxing in the village atmosphere.
NTT Data has also developed and deployed a digital twin of the course, which according to Winstanley, serves multiple purposes. It enhances the on-site experience for spectators, provides a second-screen experience for viewers and has the potential to support with the tournament’s operational management in the future.
“That technology is available to everybody out in the world via TheOpen.com and has resulted in a tenfold increase in traffic since we introduced it three years ago,” Winstanley says.
In a further leap towards integrating AI into sports, NTT Data introduced Lottie, a virtual assistant powered by advanced generative AI technology.
Named after a historical figure, Lottie provides real-time information about the tournament, including detailed player statistics, historical data and facts. The virtual guide was accessible at the event.
“Large language model-based agents usually specialise in different areas: one focused on statistics, another on golf law, and a third that adds a fun element,” Winstanley says.
“We chained all of the different agents together into a beautifully rendered digital avatar and all of that is underpinned by our private 5G deployment.”
Private 5G
NTT Data’s “network in a box” solution provides robust and reliable connectivity across the event, ensuring that its digital and AI-driven technologies function seamlessly.
It was able to transmit through the VIP pavilion and using a directional antenna across to the NTT Data Wall.
The VIP Pavilion featured Lottie and the ShotView iPads, with machine vision cameras positioned on the NTT Data Wall, which were performing real-time object tracking and crowd counting and analysis.
“Golf courses are notoriously difficult from a connectivity standpoint,” Winstanley says.
“This year, however, we brought our network in a box solution, that we’ve designed specifically for this kind of event.”
The private 5G setup is crucial for maintaining low-latency data transmission which is vital for real-time applications like the digital twin technology and Lottie, the AI assistant.
The ease of deploying this network – taking just 30 minutes to set up – demonstrates NTT Data’s capability in providing agile and scalable solutions, Winstanley says.
He adds that this technology isn’t reserved for sports events but is also being explored for applications in other sectors including manufacturing and healthcare.
With that said, Winstanley is keen to note that NTT Data’s innovations are not confined to sports and the company is actively expanding its private 5G solutions to various industries.
In manufacturing, these networks support smart factory initiatives, enabling advanced monitoring and automation. In healthcare, they facilitate better management of medical equipment and resources, contributing to the development of smart hospitals.
One of its most ambitious projects involves deploying large-scale private 5G networks to Las Vegas to create the largest private 5G network in the US.
The wider plan
This feeds into NTT Data’s wider strategy and Winstanley says the Group is “very invested in network transformation”.
“Over the last few years, we’ve built out strategic alliances with the likes of Microsoft and AWS and other core players in the generative AI space and we’ve also deployed an LLM of our own,” he says.
That LLM, Tsuzumi, operates at a fraction of the energy consumption of traditional models according to Winstanley. In June, it was announced that Tsuzumi would launch on Microsoft Azure AI Models-as-a-Service (MaaS), marking a fresh milestone in 25 years of collaboration between the industry juggernauts.
Looking ahead, NTT Data is investing in the research and development of 6G technologies.
The Group is taking a proactive stance to 6G as part of its broader plan to remain a leader in the field of convergent ICT.
The company is increasingly concentrating on advancing all-photonic networks and integrating space-based communication systems, which have the potential to transform global connectivity. Winstanley poses the question, “What will the networks of 2030 and 2035 look like?”
He then highlights the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) initiative, which aims to answer this question.
The IOWN initiative is centred on developing processing infrastructure, including terminals that offer high-speed, high-capacity communication by leveraging optical technology and computational resources. Looking forward, Winstanley foresees less of a transformation and more of an “evolution” of the NTT Data brand.
“It’s about increasing bandwidth, speed, processing power and capacity, but at the same time, do it by reducing latency, costs and power consumption,” he says.
Sustainability remains a key focus for the business, as does further expansion into Europe, Winstanley says.
Regarding the UK and Ireland, Winstanley emphasises that the region has quickly become a "critical priority" for the company and is now being looked at as its own sub region, with several projects already underway.
“NTT DATA is a truly global organisation with 190,000 employees around the world and substantial operations in Asia, North America, Latin America and Europe,” he says.
Winstanley firmly expects the trajectory of growth to continue.
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