Formula E has long positioned itself as more than a motorsport championship. Designed from the ground up around electric racing, the series has embedded sustainability into its identity since its launch. Now, as pressure mounts across global industries to move beyond climate pledges and demonstrate measurable progress, Formula E is leaning heavily on artificial intelligence to help deliver on its net zero commitments.
Through an expanded multi-year partnership with Google Cloud, Formula E is integrating advanced AI models — including Google’s Gemini — into its operational, commercial, and logistical systems. The goal is not branding or sponsorship visibility alone, but measurable efficiency gains across the championship’s global footprint.
The collaboration highlights a growing trend in elite sport: cloud and AI partnerships are shifting from surface-level marketing arrangements to deeply embedded technology relationships that influence how organisations operate, plan, and compete.
From Sponsorship to Strategic Infrastructure
Sports partnerships have traditionally been driven by brand exposure. Logos on cars, trackside advertising, and broadcast mentions were often the core deliverables. Formula E’s relationship with Google Cloud reflects a different model.
The partnership, first formalised in January 2025, has now been elevated to “Principal Partner” status — a signal that Google Cloud technology has become business-critical to the championship’s operations.
Rather than acting as an external technology provider, Google Cloud is increasingly embedded into Formula E’s digital backbone. AI and data analytics are being used to optimise everything from race logistics and infrastructure planning to workforce productivity and fan engagement.
For Formula E, this evolution aligns directly with its status as the only sport certified as net zero carbon since inception — a designation that requires continuous improvement, not static compliance.
The Net Zero Challenge in a Global Championship
Running a global racing series is logistically complex. Formula E stages races across multiple continents, often in city-centre locations that require temporary infrastructure builds, rapid deployment, and tight timelines.
Much of the championship’s carbon footprint lies in Scope 3 emissions — those generated by suppliers, freight, travel, and logistics rather than direct energy use. Reducing these emissions is one of the most difficult challenges for any organisation operating at global scale.
Formula E’s strategy is to attack inefficiency before it becomes physical.
Digital Twins and Operational Modelling
One of the most impactful applications of Google Cloud AI within Formula E is the creation of operational and event-level digital twins.
Using advanced AI modelling, Formula E can now simulate race sites, infrastructure builds, and logistics workflows virtually before equipment or personnel are deployed. These digital replicas allow planners to test layouts, schedules, and configurations in a virtual environment.
The benefits are immediate and measurable:
- Reduced need for physical site visits
- Fewer trial-and-error deployments
- Lower transport requirements for heavy equipment
- Improved accuracy in planning and execution
By optimising site builds digitally, Formula E reduces the need to ship unnecessary materials or make late-stage changes on location — both of which contribute heavily to carbon emissions.
For a championship that operates in dense urban environments, this approach also improves efficiency while reducing disruption to host cities.
Tackling Scope 3 Emissions With Virtual Planning
Scope 3 emissions are often the hardest to control because they sit outside direct operational boundaries. Formula E’s use of digital twins directly targets this problem.
Every avoided shipment, reduced freight load, or eliminated on-site adjustment contributes to a lower operational carbon footprint. Over a full season of races, these marginal gains compound into significant emissions reductions.
Crucially, the digital twin approach does not compromise performance or safety. Instead, it improves predictability and consistency — two factors that are essential in motorsport operations.
The ability to model complex environments in advance allows Formula E to maintain its high-performance standards while staying aligned with its net zero commitments.
AI Beyond Logistics: Improving Workforce Productivity
The Google Cloud partnership extends beyond race-day operations. Formula E is also deploying Google Workspace enhanced with Gemini AI across its internal teams.
This layer of AI focuses on workforce productivity and organisational agility. Generative AI tools are being used to reduce administrative overhead, streamline collaboration, and accelerate decision-making across a globally distributed workforce.
In practical terms, this includes:
- Faster document creation and analysis
- AI-assisted data summarisation
- Improved coordination across time zones
- Reduced delays in internal workflows
For an organisation that operates across continents and tight timelines, shaving hours or days off internal processes can have a meaningful operational impact.
This reflects a broader enterprise trend: generative AI is increasingly being used not to replace roles, but to reduce friction in knowledge work.
Proven Results From Earlier AI Experiments
The credibility of Formula E’s expanded AI strategy is underpinned by earlier, high-profile experiments that demonstrated tangible outcomes.
One such initiative was the “Mountain Recharge” project, which used Google’s AI Studio and Gemini models to solve a highly specific performance challenge.
Engineers tasked the AI with analysing a mountain descent route for the GENBETA car. The objective was to determine whether regenerative braking alone could harvest enough energy during the descent to complete a full lap of the Monaco circuit afterward.
To do this, the AI processed complex, high-dimensional data sets, including:
- Elevation changes and topography
- Road surface friction
- Vehicle dynamics
- Energy recovery efficiency
The model identified precise braking zones and calculated the required regenerative braking strategy. The result validated that AI could translate theoretical energy models into real-world execution.
This project served as proof that AI could bridge the gap between simulation and physical performance — a principle now being applied at a much larger operational scale.
Enhancing the Fan Experience With Real-Time AI Insights
Beyond sustainability and operations, the Google Cloud partnership also strengthens Formula E’s commercial and digital engagement strategy.
Formula E has integrated an AI-powered “Strategy Agent” into its live broadcasts. This system processes real-time race data to deliver tailored insights, predictions, and explanations to viewers as events unfold.
For fans, this means greater transparency into:
- Race strategy decisions
- Energy management tactics
- Driver performance trends
- Potential overtaking scenarios
Motorsport generates enormous volumes of telemetry and timing data. Translating that information into narratives that casual viewers can understand has always been a challenge.
The Strategy Agent acts as an interpreter — synthesising raw data into clear, contextual insights in real time.
Observability: A Shared Challenge Between Sport and Enterprise
Formula E’s broadcast AI tools mirror a challenge faced across many industries: observability.
In enterprise environments, organisations must make sense of vast streams of real-time data and present it in ways that support decision-making. Formula E applies the same principle to racing — turning telemetry into stories that enhance understanding and engagement.
Millions of viewers have already interacted with these AI-driven insights, demonstrating that data-rich experiences can be both informative and accessible when AI is applied thoughtfully.
For sponsors and commercial partners, this deeper engagement also increases the value of digital audiences — a critical metric in modern sports economics.
Leadership Perspective: AI as a Competitive and Sustainable Advantage
Leadership at both Formula E and Google Cloud frames the partnership as more than a technology upgrade.
Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, described the expanded collaboration as transformational for motorsport.
“Our expanded partnership with Google Cloud is a true game-changer for Formula E and for motorsport as a whole,” Dodds said. “We are already pushing the boundaries of technology in sport, and this Principal Partnership confirms our vision.”
He emphasised that real-time AI-driven performance optimisation benefits not only teams and organisers, but also fans watching around the world.
“The integration of Google Cloud’s AI capabilities unlocks a new dimension of strategic decision-making and fan engagement,” Dodds added.
Google Cloud’s View: Performance Under Pressure
From Google Cloud’s perspective, Formula E represents an ideal proving ground for AI and data analytics.
Tara Brady, President of Google Cloud EMEA, highlighted the intensity of the motorsport environment.
“Formula E is a hub of innovation, where milliseconds can define success,” Brady said. “This expanded partnership demonstrates how Google Cloud’s AI and analytics can deliver competitive advantage in the most demanding scenarios.”
The partnership allows Google Cloud to showcase how its AI platforms perform under real-time constraints — a scenario that mirrors challenges faced by enterprises in finance, logistics, and manufacturing.
Why the Partnership Expanded
The progression from an initial agreement in early 2025 to a significantly expanded partnership suggests that early pilots delivered sufficient return on investment.
In enterprise terms, this reflects a familiar pattern:
- Pilot AI projects prove value
- Successful use cases scale across the organisation
- AI becomes embedded in core workflows
Formula E’s experience aligns closely with how AI adoption is unfolding across many industries.
Sustainability, Performance, and the Future of Sport
As organisations face increasing pressure to balance performance with environmental responsibility, Formula E’s approach offers a compelling blueprint.
Rather than treating sustainability as a constraint, the championship is using AI to unlock efficiencies that benefit both performance and carbon reduction.
Virtual simulation, AI-driven planning, and real-time analytics allow Formula E to reduce waste, cut emissions, and enhance the quality of competition — all simultaneously.
This dual focus is likely to become increasingly common, not just in sport, but across sectors where physical operations intersect with digital intelligence.
A Model for Net Zero in Complex Operations
Formula E’s use of Google Cloud AI illustrates how net zero goals can be pursued through operational excellence rather than sacrifice.
By modelling physical systems virtually, reducing unnecessary movement, and empowering teams with intelligent tools, the championship is turning sustainability into a measurable, data-driven outcome.
As global organisations look for ways to align growth with climate commitments, Formula E’s strategy underscores a key insight: AI’s most powerful sustainability impact may lie in preventing inefficiency before it happens.