Amazon Cloud Tech (Amazon.com, NASDAQ: AMZN) announced a partnership with the Beijing Yao Foundation Public Welfare Foundation (referred to as the "Yao Foundation") to jointly launch the "Cloud Basketball Blueprint" sports × technology talent development program, according to an announcement made on the evening of October 10.
The initiative will leverage the Yao Foundation's nationwide school network and extensive experience in sports talent cultivation, combined with Amazon Cloud Tech's Breaking Barriers global innovation campaign, cloud and AI technologies, a mentor team of senior solutions architects, and training and certification learning resources, to cultivate more composite talents who possess both AI literacy and sports professional capabilities.
Under this program, Amazon Cloud Tech will invest $1 million in cash donations and cloud and AI technology resources. On one hand, this supports the implementation of Breaking Barriers in China, covering three stages: professional talent training at universities, hackathon practical exercises, and deployment and application of results. On the other hand, it supports the Yao Foundation Basketball Season, providing sports teaching, training, and event support for schools covered by the Yao Foundation.
As a global innovation campaign initiated by Amazon Cloud Tech, Breaking Barriers primarily promotes in-depth exchange and collaboration between developers and non-profit organizations through hackathons, technical workshops, and cross-industry cooperation, using generative AI to create inclusive and equitable digital solutions for relatively resource-scarce groups.
In the "Cloud Basketball Blueprint" sports × technology talent development program, Amazon Cloud Tech is introducing Breaking Barriers to China for the first time, supporting the cultivation of sports AI talent and promoting the practical application of AI teaching tools in grassroots sports education.
During the professional talent training stage, Amazon Cloud Tech will collaborate with the Yao Foundation to support training at 10 sports or technology institutions, helping students systematically master core skills in generative AI and data science.
In the hackathon practical exercise stage, university students who participated in earlier training will become "builders," creating AI teaching tools around real challenges from frontline grassroots sports education, such as AI teaching assistants that automatically generate personalized training plans based on students' physical characteristics and limited facilities.
In the deployment and application stage, Amazon Cloud Tech will further optimize outstanding AI teaching tools incubated during the hackathon and pilot them in 100 grassroots schools covered by the Yao Foundation, providing personalized training guidance and intelligent teaching support for grassroots sports teachers.
Yao Ming, founder and chairman of the Yao Foundation, stated: "We are honored to walk together with Amazon Cloud Tech, jointly launching this public welfare endeavor to cultivate sports AI talent and support the sports growth of rural youth. Our cooperation will surely achieve complementary advantages and multiplied value. In the future, we will continue to deepen our efforts based on this collaboration, allowing cutting-edge technology to truly take root in rural classrooms and accompany more rural children to run freely and grow toward the sun."