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Amazon’s AWS Partners with NBA to Power New AI Basketball Platform

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Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon.com, has signed a multi-year partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to create AI-driven features, analytics, and fan experiences across the league’s digital platforms.

The collaboration, announced on Wednesday, will debut “NBA Inside the Game”, a new AI-powered platform designed to transform in-game data into interactive insights for fans, teams, and broadcasters. The deal’s financial terms were not disclosed.

A NEW ERA OF DATA-DRIVEN BASKETBALL

The NBA’s new system will leverage AWS’s machine learning and data processing tools to analyze real-time game statistics and produce advanced visualizations. The features will appear across live broadcasts, the NBA App, the league’s official website, and social media channels, providing deeper, faster, and more personalized insights into gameplay.

Fans will be able to see advanced statistics — such as defensive positioning, shot success probabilities, and team strategy analytics — generated instantly by AI models trained on player and game data.

Teams will also gain access to the data, enabling them to review matches, adjust strategies, and identify player performance trends.

“Whenever we build a statistic, there is always input from our teams,” said Ken DeGennaro, the NBA’s Head of Media Operations and Technology. “We want to ensure that these services not only engage fans but also help our teams improve their on-court strategies.”

AI’S GROWING PRESENCE IN SPORTS

The partnership reflects a broader trend in global sports toward AI integration, where leagues increasingly partner with tech giants to enhance both fan engagement and team performance.

Earlier this year, Microsoft signed a five-year deal with the English Premier League to embed its AI Copilot technology into the league’s digital ecosystem, illustrating how artificial intelligence is reshaping the business of sports.

For AWS, the deal strengthens its expanding presence in sports analytics — a field where its technology already powers insights for organizations like Formula 1, the NFL, and Bundesliga.

As part of the NBA collaboration, AWS will handle data collection, analysis, and visualization in real time, helping redefine how fans experience basketball and how coaches and players analyze it.

Accenture Tops Revenue Estimates, Launches $865 Million Restructuring Amid AI Push

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Accenture reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue on Thursday and announced a $865 million restructuring program to better align its workforce and operations with rising demand for digital and AI services.

The restructuring, set to run over six months, includes severance costs and selective divestitures, with savings to be reinvested into staff training and operational efficiency. The company recorded $615 million in charges in the fourth quarter and expects another $250 million in the November quarter.

Analysts said the plan underscores both the challenges and opportunities of the AI transition. “Accenture has a strong reskilling operation internally,” said CFRA analyst Brooks Idlet, noting the company’s focus on shifting resources toward higher-demand areas.

The Dublin-based consulting giant emphasized that it will continue hiring while phasing out roles tied to outdated skills. Its new talent strategy includes upskilling employees and using AI to improve productivity.

Accenture also faces challenges from U.S. policy shifts. President Donald Trump this month announced a $100,000 one-time fee for H-1B visas, a move that could increase labor costs for IT and consulting firms. Accenture had approvals for 1,568 H-1B beneficiaries in the first half of the year, placing it among the top 25 U.S. employers in the program. However, CEO Julie Sweet said the impact will be limited since only about 5% of its U.S. workforce is on such visas.

Other headwinds included delays and cancellations in U.S. federal contracts, which made up 8% of revenue in 2024 and trimmed growth this year by about 20 basis points.

Still, demand remains solid. Accenture booked $21.3 billion in new contracts in the quarter, a key indicator of future revenue. The company posted $17.6 billion in revenue, beating analyst estimates of $17.36 billion.

Looking ahead, Accenture forecasts full-year 2026 revenue growth of 2% to 5%, slightly below Wall Street’s expectation of 5.3%, according to LSEG data.

Global companies pour billions into AI infrastructure with mega-deals

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A wave of multi-billion dollar investments is reshaping the AI landscape as chipmakers, cloud providers, and tech giants race to secure computing power for next-generation artificial intelligence. The surge follows OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in 2022, which sparked unprecedented demand for GPUs, cloud infrastructure, and data centers.

Key deals fueling the AI boom:

  • Nvidia & OpenAI – Nvidia to invest up to $100B in OpenAI and supply advanced AI chips, cementing its dominance in the AI ecosystem.

  • Nvidia & Intel – Nvidia invests $5B for a ~4% stake in Intel.

  • Oracle & Meta – In talks on a $20B cloud deal to boost Meta’s AI compute.

  • Oracle & OpenAI – Landmark deal worth $300B over five years for OpenAI to buy Oracle cloud capacity.

  • CoreWeave & Nvidia – $6.3B order ensuring Nvidia-backed startup CoreWeave absorbs unused cloud demand.

  • Nebius Group & Microsoft – $17.4B, five-year GPU deal to bolster Microsoft’s infrastructure.

  • Meta & Google – Six-year, $10B cloud agreement signed in August.

  • Intel & SoftBank – SoftBank injects $2B into Intel, becoming a top-10 shareholder.

  • Tesla & Samsung – $16.5B chip supply deal for Tesla’s next-gen AI6 chip, produced in Texas.

  • Meta & Scale AI – Meta takes 49% stake ($14.3B) in Scale AI, elevating CEO Alexandr Wang’s role in Meta’s AI strategy.

  • Google & Windsurf – $2.4B licensing deal for AI code generation tech.

  • CoreWeave & OpenAI – $11.9B, five-year contract signed before CoreWeave’s IPO.

  • Stargate Datacenter Project – Joint venture by SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, with up to $500B in AI infrastructure funding.

  • Amazon & Anthropic – Amazon doubles down with a total $4B investment in Anthropic, developer of the Claude chatbot.

Why it matters:

  • Capital intensity: AI development is now measured in hundreds of billions, with infrastructure demands rivaling traditional energy projects.

  • Strategic alliances: Tech giants are securing long-term chip and cloud capacity to avoid bottlenecks.

  • Geopolitical edge: Governments, particularly the U.S., are encouraging private-public mega-projects like Stargate to keep ahead in the AI race.

The investment frenzy highlights a simple truth: the future of AI hinges not just on algorithms, but on who controls the world’s computing power.