The San Francisco 49ers will install a unified data storage system from NetApp as part of a bigger project to build an intelligent data infrastructure at Levi’s Stadium. The technological upgrades are part of a plan to help Levi’s Stadium prepare for two big events in 2026: the FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LX.
NetApp’s Keystone storage-as-a-service platform underpins the changes to the stadium, supporting both on-premises and public cloud, according to Gabie Boko, NetApp’s chief marketing officer.
“With a silo-free infrastructure built for intelligence, the 49ers can leverage seamless data management to optimize performance on and off the field, which is the ultimate game-changer,” she said.
NetApp’s platform will integrate with the stadium’s Cisco Wi-Fi 6 system, which incorporates 1,300 access points sprinkled throughout the field; Xfinity provides free Wi-Fi to fans. The 49ers also recently upgraded to a Cisco hyperconverged collapse core network. The topology simplifies a network by combining the core and distribution layers, making data transmission more efficient.
Bandwidth on the backend of the network lets data flow from the server to new 4K video boards, which require huge data files, said Costa Kladianos, executive vice president and head of technology for the 49ers.
.jpg?width=800&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale "An evening view of Levi's Stadium during a 49ers game, as fireworks go off")
CREDIT: 49ERS.COM
CREDIT: 49ERS.COM
Building the Intelligent Stadium
When Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014, it was known as the world’s most connected stadium, Kladianos said. But as technology has improved, he said those capabilities are “now table stakes.”
To that end, the team is building what it calls the “intelligent stadium,” relying on data churned out by SAP’s Executive Huddle, a custom analytics platform that tracks key stadium operations in real time.
A companion app, HappyOrNot, gathers fan feedback on a variety of customer experiences, from the quality of concessions to how long it might take to visit a restroom. Other data tools provide insight into whether a concession is running out of a particular food or if staff need to be redeployed to ticket gates or other areas. AI-powered video cameras, meantime, let the team post wait times at ticketing gates. If lines get too long, staff can be repositioned quickly, Kladianos said.
“We want people to get off their couch and come to the game and make it a frictionless and easy experience, but [also] a fun social experience for them,” he said.
The new 4K video board is an integral part of the team’s intelligent data strategy. It doesn’t just display sponsorships or fan engagement content. It must show replays and other related game action within seconds of them happening.
“Seconds are super important for us in tech when we’re at a game because we have three hours, four hours, to provide the best experience possible for the fans,” Kladianos said. “If something goes down, I don’t have two hours or a day to fix something. It has to be fixed right there.”
Underpinning all these systems is NetApp’s unified data storage, according to Boko.
“This enables the 49ers to store any data, any place, in a truly unified environment,” she said. “From media files to ticketing data, the 49ers’ IT team will get their data where it needs to go faster and more easily so they can deliver a high-quality fan experience at Levi’s Stadium.”
The system is fully redundant, Kladianos said. If problems occur, and they have to restart systems, they’re “starting at the 50-yard line instead of the 30 after the touchback,” he said.
Future-Proofing an Intelligent Data Infrastructure
Another important component of the Keystone system is to support the team’s future initiatives, Kladianos said.
“What NetApp is allowing us to do with their speed is give us that ability to take our content and future-proof it,” he said. “If, in the future, we want to use AI to tag digital asset management and [improve] the speed of getting our content out into the hands of our fans quicker, we’re able to do that with them,” Kladianos said.
Kladianos advised other organizations to keep future-proofing in mind when building a data infrastructure.
“If you’re speccing out for what you need today, you’re going to be in trouble tomorrow,” he said, adding that organizations should look three to five years ahead. “You’re not going to get it perfect, because we can’t tell the future, but you’re going to get a good idea.”
