Intel to Help Power Facial Recognition Security at 2020 Olympics

“Organizers of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games formally announced their plans for a security system based on facial recognition about a month ago.”

Intel is going to be a major tech partner of next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, including a prominent role for the company in the Games’ biometric security system.

Organizers of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games formally announced their plans for a security system based on facial recognition about a month ago. The system will be delivered by the Japan-based firm NEC, whose NeoFace system already enjoys a high profile thanks to numerous deployments and strong performances in testing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Olympics staff, volunteers, athletes, and other authorized individuals will have their faces scanned to gain access to venues including the main stadium and the Olympic Village.

Now, Intel has revealed that this technology will be powered by its Intel Core i5 processor, asserting that the NeoFace system will be used to identify over 300,000 people at the Games. “Benefits include helping prevent risks related to identification fraud and reducing long wait times for ID checks,” Intel asserted in its announcement.

It’s just part of Intel’s comprehensive tech partnership with the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, however. Intel is also highlighting its plans for 3D Athlete Tracking technology for sports commentary, Virtual Reality-based training for Olympic venue managers, VR experiences for viewers at home, delivering network infrastructure, and even developing AI-driven music for the 2020 Olympics.

It all points to what’s shaping up to be one of the most technologically-enhanced Olympic Games in history. As for the Olympics itself, the event will kick off on July 24th of next year, and run through August 9th, with the Paralympics to follow on August 25th through September 6th.