Super Bowl Lineup Includes Cybersecurity Squad, Wireless Access Points and Data Centers

Ahead of the Sunday (Feb. 8) Super Bowl, the venue in Santa Clara, California, was outfitted with technology to combat cyber threats, boost Wi-Fi capacity and power a “massive” 4K videoboard, Reuters reported Wednesday (Feb. 4).

For cybersecurity, the NFL set up a cyber command center within the stadium and manned it with the league’s own cybersecurity squad, according to the report. Costa Kladianos, executive vice president, head of technology for the San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s Stadium, told Reuters that artificial intelligence has become a bigger threat than ever before.

Cisco, which is an NFL partner in providing this security, said in a Wednesday press release that because the Super Bowl is by some measures the world’s biggest annual event, “it draws the attention of cybercriminals — lots of them.” The company and the NFL secured all networks used in the stadium.

To improve the stadium’s Wi-Fi capacity, Cisco installed nearly 1,500 wireless access points that meet the Wi-Fi 7 standard, according to the Reuters report. The goal is to provide enough bandwidth to allow 65,000 spectators to have the same sort of digital experience they would have in their living room, the report said.

In the Cisco press release, Anish Patel, director of stadium and wireless engineering for the NFL, said this capacity is needed by attendees who want to upload photos from the event. “In 2012, at the Super Bowl we had around 300 gigabytes total data uploaded,” Patel said. “Now we’re breaking 35 to 40 terabytes like it’s nothing.”

Levi’s Stadium’s 4K videoboard, which is the largest in the NFL, is powered by a newly constructed data center located at the stadium, per the Reuters report. That is one of two data centers at the stadium.

PYMNTS reported Tuesday (Feb. 3) that this year’s Super Bowl is also driving a surge in activity on prediction market platforms that is tied to the game and its surrounding ecosystem, from outcomes on the field to broader event-driven contracts.

There’s also an entire retail ecosystem around the Super Bowl, PYMNTS reported Jan. 10. Offers around the event include apps for entry, packages for upgrades, merch embedded in experiences and sponsors turning activation into entertainment.