Global tech giant IBM has renewed its long-running partnership with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organizer of the Wimbledon tennis grand slam tournament.
A long-term renewal means that IBM will continue as the official artificial intelligence, cloud, and digital transformation partner of the AELTC, including for Wimbledon itself.
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Together, the pair will continue to collaborate on fan engagement initiatives, including the increased provision of match data, for the 2026 edition of Wimbledon and beyond.
IBM has been a partner of the AELTC since 1990, a tie-up that included the launch of the Wimbledon website in 1995, the event’s mobile app in 2009, and in 2017 with the initial integration of AI-powered software systems into the championships.
This work continues year-round through dedicated collaborative teams from each organization.
Back in July 2025, Kevin Farrar, head of sport partnerships for IBM in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said in a Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) op-ed that the key to the company’s strategy with regards to the Wimbledon partnership is balancing innovation with heritage.
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By GlobalDataFarrar stated: “ The Wimbledon Championships offer a timely example of how sporting majors use AI and analytics to bring fans closer to the action. Every year, the tournament produces around 2.7 million data points across the fortnight, and millions more with the explosion of unstructured data.
“For more than three decades, Wimbledon has continually stepped up its efforts to leverage that treasure trove of data, in partnership with IBM, to introduce new ways for fans to interact with the Championships.
“The latest example, launched this year, is ‘Match Chat’ an AI-powered assistant available through the Wimbledon digital platforms. It responds to fan questions during matches, handling both pre-written prompts and spontaneous queries such as ‘Who has converted more break points in this match?’ or ‘Who is performing better?’.
“This feature helps Wimbledon to deepen fans’ engagement with a match in real-time, using a generative AI format that people, particularly younger generations, have now become accustomed to.”
