On July 20 local time in the United States, a private forum titled "Beyond the Arena: U.S.-China Business, AI, and Global Collaboration" was held in New York.

As the official technology partner for the FIFA World Cup, LENOVO GROUP Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing was instrumental in constructing the technological stage behind the spectacular matches.

Reflecting on the Tournament's Conclusion

Over the past month, Yang Yuanqing watched 15 matches live across 10 different cities with global clients, partners, suppliers, and friends. "More than I've seen in my entire life, covering the U.S., Canada, and Mexico," he remarked, noting that football is a bond that connects people, whether ordinary individuals or business professionals. The pure joy it brings is something truly experienced only in person.

He also revealed he initially predicted France would win, but they fell in the semi-finals. "The irresistible charm of football lies right there. Spain ultimately claiming the trophy was what everyone hoped for. This was my first fully immersive World Cup experience, and it felt complete."

Leveraging AI to Create the First AI-Powered World Cup

The memorable scenes from the World Cup are cherished summer memories for fans, but for LENOVO GROUP, they hold extraordinary significance. As FIFA's first official technology partner, the company successfully created the first "AI World Cup" in history.

"With AI technology, we made the matches fairer, viewing more immersive, and gave more people and teams unprecedented opportunities," Yang Yuanqing summarized. He described the company's role not as the "star" receiving cheers on the pitch, but as the "technical co-builder" embedded in the tournament's foundation.

At the core, LENOVO GROUP developed an AI solution for FIFA—the Cockpit Integrated Command Center. Spanning 16 host cities across three time zones and 104 matches, it aggregated massive real-time data from all venues to the command hub, enabling intelligent, instant distribution and ensuring the efficient operation of the entire event, serving as the central nervous system for this AI World Cup.

Built upon this foundation, the company also delivered three innovative AI applications.

The first application, FIFA AI Pro—the Football AI Super Agent—made matches fairer. This marked the first time FIFA integrated generative AI into the World Cup's tactical system, making it available to all 48 participating teams. Coaches could ask questions in natural language, and the system provided analysis within seconds, accessible to both traditional powerhouses and newcomers like Cape Verde.

Addressing Cape Verde's main goalkeeper Vozinha, who was present, Yang Yuanqing noted that this first-time qualifier had access to the same technological toolkit as eventual champion Spain throughout the tournament, and was the only team to draw with both finalists within regulation time. This exemplifies the meaning of technological equity—not just making strong teams stronger, but allowing more teams to start from the same line.

Yang's point on technological equity is substantiated. In their 2026 World Cup group stage opener, Vozinha kept a clean sheet against favorites Spain, helping Cape Verde secure a 0-0 draw and gaining instant fame. In the Round of 16 against defending champions Argentina, he made eight crucial saves, forcing extra time. Cape Verde ultimately lost 2-3, but his performance was hailed as heroic.

The second application, Ref Cam AI Stabilizer—the Referee Perspective AI Video Enhancement System—made viewing more immersive. Footage from referees' body cameras, previously too shaky for use, achieved broadcast-level quality for the first time thanks to LENOVO GROUP's proprietary AI image stabilization technology. Global fans saw, for the first time from a referee's "first-person view," exactly what happened inside the penalty area.

The third application was 3D Avatar—3D Digital Human Visualization. LENOVO GROUP created millimeter-precision 3D digital models for all 1,248 players. When an offside occurred, the system generated an animation within three seconds, projecting it directly onto the stadium's giant screens. For the first time, the global audience of six billion shared the perspective of referees and VAR, actively seeing the basis for decisions rather than passively hearing rulings, making offside calls clear to all, regardless of football knowledge.

Yang Yuanqing disclosed that on June 12, immediately after the World Cup opener, LENOVO GROUP received a thank-you letter from FIFA's event operations team. As the tournament progressed, global media outlets reported a significant shift: AI was no longer just a concept at this World Cup but acted as the "twelfth player" on the field, a result of the company's sustained commitment to its hybrid AI strategy.

Extending AI's Reach from Sports to All Industries

In Yang's view, AI development over the past decade has been driven by three engines: computing power, models, and data. First, computing power breakthroughs unlocked deep learning's potential. Then came the explosion of model engines, propelling the generative AI era forward. Today, the world is entering a new phase driven by the data engine, particularly private data. This brings a fundamental shift—the initiative is moving from technology providers to data owners. Users want AI that understands their context, grasps their specific scenarios, and solves their unique problems. This requires organically combining personal, enterprise, and public intelligence, deploying it on devices, at the edge, or in the cloud based on customer needs. It must be both customized and easily accessible, finding the optimal balance between performance, privacy, cost, and energy efficiency, making AI truly serve the real needs of every individual and enterprise. This is the underlying logic of LENOVO GROUP's hybrid AI strategy.

"Concepts and visions need validation and implementation in complex scenarios. What could be a more extreme test than the World Cup?" Yang said. This tournament served as the ultimate stress test for AI infrastructure's real-time capabilities, stability, and cross-regional collaboration.

Proudly, the hybrid AI foundation built by LENOVO GROUP for the World Cup withstood the challenge. From local real-time data processing at stadiums, to the centralized data center at the International Broadcast Centre, to global cloud data collaboration—this "device-edge-cloud-network-intelligence" coordinated architecture proved the engineering feasibility of hybrid AI in large-scale, highly complex scenarios.

More importantly, these AI capabilities validated on the World Cup stage will not remain confined there. They stem from the company's years of accumulated experience in R&D, supply chain, smart manufacturing, and global operations. In turn, they will empower countless industries, making sports events smarter, urban governance more precise, and factory production more efficient. This is precisely the company's path to promoting AI accessibility.

Yang introduced that, in fact, LENOVO GROUP's AI capabilities are already taking root in many sectors. The technological logic behind the World Cup's venue digital twins—which calculate real-time passenger flow, predict congestion, and formulate evacuation plans—is now being applied in several smart city projects within China. The company's City Super Agent has been deployed in locations like Wuyishan, Yichang, Shanghai Hongkou, and Hohhot. The multi-agent collaboration capability behind the FIFA AI Pro Football Super Agent can be traced back to practices in smart manufacturing and supply chain management across the company's over 30 global factories. In the future, solutions tested and refined during the World Cup will feedback into these factories, supporting second-level production scheduling, AI visual quality control, and global supply chain decisions, creating value across a broader range of industries.

The momentum of the company's AI business validates this approach. At the end of May, the company reported its best-ever fiscal year results—annual revenue exceeded $83 billion, a year-on-year increase of 20%. Revenue related to AI business already accounts for over one-third of the group's total revenue, becoming a core growth engine.

"Our goal is clear: driven by our AI business, we aim to surpass $100 billion in revenue within two years," Yang stated with confidence.

From the Arena to the World: Technology's Power Lies in Connection

The World Cup is never just about football; it represents a global connection for audiences. As a technology company rooted in China with a global footprint, LENOVO GROUP consistently contemplates how to connect the world.

Yang Yuanqing stated that for over two decades, the company has been implementing a Global/Local business model—integrating the world's best technology, supply chains, and talent while ensuring "last-mile" localization in over 180 markets. The core is transforming global resources into the ability to serve local customers. This unique model has helped the company navigate numerous cycles, and AI is now making it even more powerful.

"During this World Cup, I was pleased to see our Global/Local model validated once again. What ensured the stable operation of the AI system in such a complex major event was the engineering capability accumulated through our global supply chain, smart manufacturing, and large-scale delivery—the hard skills honed by LENOVO GROUP over decades," he said. When this capability serves different markets and industries worldwide, technology becomes a connector—allowing capabilities validated in one scenario to be applied in another. This connection forms the most easily understood common ground.

"The World Cup is a common language for all humanity; AI is a shared mission for industrial transformation," Yang emphasized. The company firmly believes that technology's power can transcend the arena and connect the world—making competition fairer and cooperation more promising. "This is both our commitment to sports and our confidence in the future."