What Google gives the FA
In 2019, the FA began a partnership with Google Cloud, leveraging BigQuery, Google’s data warehousing solution, to centralise and streamline their data processes.
However, following the boom in GenAI, the offerings offered by Google have expanded, and so the partnership has evolved to incorporate those capabilities onto the FA’s scouting archives.
Cloud AI utilises the computing power and storage of cloud data centres to deliver AI services over the internet. Instead of running AI locally, users access pre-trained models or build custom models using cloud-based tools.
The AI models run on the cloud provider’s servers, delivering intelligent outputs like predictions to the user’s applications. This approach allows leveraging powerful AI capabilities without managing complex infrastructure.
Previously, England Men’s Football Manager Gareth Southgate has said: “Google Cloud is helping transform the way we prepare and the way we strategise. Ultimately this will benefit England’s pursuit of excellence on and off the pitch.”
This incorporation of GenAI to extract and fetch insights from mass amounts of data represents a wider push from industry as a way to add additional insights for customers who are using their service through AI.
Google recently announced €1bn (US$1.8bn) in its Finnish data centre campus, highlighting its drive for Cloud AI growth in Europe.
How it works
Leveraging Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s machine learning platform, the FA can transform historical scouting reports into concise summaries.