SoFi Stadium, the recently opened new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers NFL teams, is to become the first major venue in the US to implement digital twin technology through an agreement with Willow.
The global technology company, which is a leading provider of digital twin technology, has partnered with Hollywood Park, the wide-ranging sports and entertainment destination which includes SoFi Stadium.
Willow will use big data gathered from every aspect of SoFi Stadium and the surrounding development to create a virtual copy of the stadium, delivering analytical insight to enhance the fan, resident and guest experience.
Digital twin technology converts all quantifiable aspects of physical buildings into living, learning and evolving virtual replicas. It enables venues to store, organise and access data generated by smart buildings, providing owners and facility managers with real-time insights to optimise aspects of the building’s operations.
Willow’s solution will allow SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park’s operators to gain transparency on data from across the complex. It is hoped the partnership will allow operators to solve problems before they happen, manage risk and identify previously impossible integrated strategies.
Jason Gannon, managing director of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, said: “Our goal is to deliver a new type of fan and visitor experience, and to do that, we need a comprehensive, data-driven view into how all the pieces of this project connect.
“For such a large-scale and complex asset like a stadium, this is a pivotal undertaking. Willow’s Digital Twin will enable us to collect and analyse real-time big data across the lifecycle of the development, from construction to ongoing operations.”
Shaun Klann, president and global head of real estate at Willow, added: “By accessing data that was once lost between project phases or in multiple systems, Willow can assist SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in identifying opportunities they never knew they had.
“Stadiums are an amazing opportunity to apply the lessons we have learned in commercial real estate, but on a much larger scale. It’s an incredibly exciting project and we are honoured to partner with the ambitious and innovative team at SoFi Stadium.”
The 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium hosted its first game last month, albeit without fans due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. The stadium will host the NFL’s Super Bowl in 2022 and the College Football Championship Game in 2023, along with the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The partnership with Willow furthers the stadium’s digital technology drive and follows agreements with Cisco, Google and naming-rights partner SoFi, a digital personal finance company.
For more insight into how digital technology is driving SoFi Stadium’s strategy, check out our recent interview with Gannon here.
Image: SoFi Stadium/Rich Fury
