- Intel becomes McLaren’s official compute partner
- Company branding will appear on the F1 car from the Canadian Grand Prix
McLaren Racing have agreed a multi-year technology partnership with Intel, which becomes the official compute partner for its Formula One and IndyCar teams.
Intel will support McLaren in turning large volumes of data captured from the car, track and other environments into actionable insight through secure and scalable processing capabilities.
The tech giant will also deploy trackside edge computing, which processes data close to the point of collection to reduce latency and reliance on centralised cloud platforms, to enable real-time analytics and race day decision making.
The deal marks Intel’s return to Formula One after a 17-year absence. Its last partnership with BMW Sauber concluded in 2009 following the German manufacturer’s exit from the sport. Intel also had smaller deals with Toyota and Williams in the 2000s.
Intel becomes the latest tech firm to join McLaren’s Formula One partnership programme, which has been structured to accommodate multiple vendors.
Cisco focuses on networking and cybersecurity, Dell Technologies provides hardware and other physical infrastructure, and Google provides cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) software.
Intel branding will appear on the Formula One team’s cars from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards. One of the team’s IndyCar entries will carry Intel branding at this year’s race in Washington DC and next season’s Indianapolis 500.
The company’s logo will also appear on the on-stage simulators for McLaren’s sim racing team at the final event of this month’s Sim Racing World Championship. It will then appear on McLaren’s virtual livery from 2027.
“Performance in IndyCar and Formula One racing is driven by technology, and partnering with Intel strengthens our ability to innovate at scale,” said Zak Brown, chief executive of McLaren Racing.
“Intel has already been an important part of our technology ecosystem, and their leadership in computing will play a critical role in how we design, build, and race our cars. We’re excited to deepen this relationship even further.”
“Formula One racing and IndyCar are some of the ultimate proving grounds for high-performance computing,” added Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan.
“Intel is proud to be McLaren Racing’s compute partner, and to be part of a team that thrives on precision, speed, and innovation. Together, Intel and McLaren will push the boundaries of what’s possible, transforming data into competitive advantage at every turn.”
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