3 days ago
IBM puts AI in the driver's seat with Scuderia Ferrari
In racing, every millisecond counts.
Cars reach top speeds of over 210 mph, generating over 1 million data points per second. It's not just about speed — it's about precision, timing and insight.
But until now, fans could only grasp a fraction of the complexity.
That's changed with the Scuderia Ferrari app, reimagined in partnership with IBM and powered by IBM watsonx. The result is a new kind of experience — not just a second screen, but an AI-powered platform that's redefining fan engagement and showcasing enterprise AI in a new context.
The challenge: Scuderia Ferrari wanted a digital experience that engaged fans and lived up to the legendary Ferrari brand — and saw an opportunity to elevate its existing platform.
"The value proposition we were delivering was just content," said Stefano Pallard, Scuderia Ferrari HP's head of fan development. "And my challenge was turning an editorial product into an interactive and much more personalized product."
With a global fan base of nearly 400 million, Scuderia Ferrari HP needed a platform that could engage at scale and evolve with the sport.
Enter IBM.
The solution: The new Scuderia Ferrari app debuted in early May, ahead of the race in Miami. It looks sleek and modern — but the real story is under the hood.
With help from IBM Consulting, Scuderia Ferrari HP redesigned the experience. The architecture was streamlined. The user interface was simplified. And most importantly, AI was embedded using watsonx, IBM's enterprise-grade AI and data platform.
"The data is worthless if you don't use it," said Jonathan Adashek, IBM's SVP of Marketing and Communications. "AI's the way to do that."
How it works: The app brings fans into the heart of the race with:
AI-generated summaries of each race.
Visualized telemetry from Scuderia Ferrari HP's own performance data.
Historical insights that put the action into context.
Interactive features like fan polls.
Full Italian-language content and support for the first time.
That last point wasn't just a detail for Ferrari — it was part of the brand's commitment to better engage with its global fan base.
"We wanted to deliver that strong connection with fans all over the world," said Pallard.
The strategy: Behind the scenes, a hybrid cloud infrastructure powers the entire experience. And watsonx drives the production of everything from code to content.
manages AI models that generate race summaries and fan-facing content.
prepares and curates Scuderia Ferrari's massive datasets — from car telemetry to historical information.
watsonx Code Assistant™ increases the speed and accuracy of the team's software development.
It's a full-stack application of IBM's hybrid cloud and AI tools — a practical case study for what AI can do when tightly integrated into operations, product and user experience.
The impact: The app isn't just for fans. It's also helping Scuderia Ferrari HP's content team do more with less.
"IBM AI is helping us deliver more content and more value, faster to our fans," said Pallard.
This kind of internal efficiency is key for modern brands operating at global scale. Scuderia Ferrari HP now has a tool that can automate workflows, scale content creation, and still maintain brand fidelity in everything it publishes.
What this means:"When we partner with somebody like Scuderia Ferrari HP, we're using their data to create this model so it responds like Scuderia Ferrari HP," said Adashek. "That allows us to show our clients and prospective clients how they could do that same thing."
The opportunity: IBM's own research shows that less than 1% of enterprise data is currently used in AI models.
That means 99% of what companies know sits idle.
With the Scuderia Ferrari app, IBM created an example others can follow — one that shows how proprietary, private data can be effectively deployed using hybrid cloud infrastructure and a purpose-built AI stack.
What's next: As the 2025 season unfolds, Scuderia Ferrari HP and IBM plan to introduce even more features, including:
The takeaway: For tech leaders, this isn't just a fun use case. It's a blueprint.
The AI-powered Scuderia Ferrari app shows how enterprise data can be activated, refined and delivered through user experiences that are immediate, scalable and high-value — all while reducing internal workload.
That's the future of digital products — and the future of AI.
Experience it for yourself.
