Collaboration to establish AI Centre of Excellence
LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Reading Football Club today announced a major strategic AI initiative with Stelia AI, powered by NVIDIA and Lenovo, bringing together professional sport and advanced computing to accelerate the practical application of artificial intelligence.
The initiative will focus on the co-development of a Reading Football Club AI Centre of Excellence, designed to identify, develop and share best practice in applying AI and accelerating computing across football operations, performance analysis, fan engagement and commercial innovation. The Centre will also support skills development, education and innovation across the wider Thames Valley, working with local schools, colleges, universities and technology organisations.
As part of the initiative, Reading Football Club will use Stelia’s full-stack platform to support the development, testing and deployment of AI applications – leveraging accelerated compute infrastructure from NVIDIA and Lenovo. This will enable organisations to prototype real-world use cases and explore emerging approaches such as generative AI and agent-based systems within a practical, applied, and secure environment.
Together, the organisations aim to establish a scalable model for deploying AI responsibly across both sport and enterprise.
“This initiative brings together the best of sport, technology and community,” said Tim Kilpatrick, Chief Revenue Officer at Reading Football Club. “By working with Stelia, NVIDIA and Lenovo, we’re creating a platform that not only enhances how we operate as a football club, but also delivers real value to the Thames Valley business and education ecosystem. The AI Centre of Excellence will help translate innovation into practical outcomes, locally and beyond.”
“Football is an ideal environment for applied AI—data-rich, fast-moving and outcomes-driven,” said Stuart Fenton, Head of AI at Reading Football Club. “We’re building an AI Centre of Excellence to focus on real-world use cases, from performance and analysis to operations and fan engagement, while also sharing insight and opportunity with educators and technology partners across the Thames Valley.”
“Our focus is helping organisations move beyond experimentation to real, measurable value from AI,” said Dave Hughes, CTO at Stelia AI. “Working alongside Reading Football Club, NVIDIA and Lenovo allows us to demonstrate how strategy, data and technology can come together in a highly practical environment, while also supporting innovation and skills development across the Thames Valley.”
“AI delivers the greatest impact when it is applied to complex, real-world challenges,” said Anthony Hills, Director, UKI, NVIDIA . “Professional football offers a unique testbed for advanced analytics, accelerated computing and AI-driven insight. This partnership shows how technologies developed for elite performance can translate into meaningful outcomes for businesses, educators and communities.”
“At Lenovo, we’ve seen that the most successful AI strategies are built where data, infrastructure and day-to-day decision-making come together. Football is a particularly powerful environment for that because it demands speed, resilience and clarity under pressure. By bringing Lenovo’s expertise into this collaboration, we can help turn ambitious ideas into practical capabilities that deliver value both on and off the pitch,” said Andy Rhodes, VP and GM, Lenovo UK & Ireland.
The initiative reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that advances in AI deliver tangible benefits for sport, the regional economy and the future workforce.
About Stelia AI
Embedded in high-trust environments, Stelia’s full-stack operating system serves as the operational backbone for production-grade AI, making deployment trusted, governed and accountable at scale.
It replaces fragmented tooling with a unified platform that enables teams to build workflows and agents quickly and cost-effectively without having to construct, integrate, or maintain the complex infrastructure underneath.
Find out more about Stelia’s AI OS here.
Follow Stelia on LinkedIn.
About Reading FC
Reading Football Club is one of England’s oldest professional football clubs, founded in 1871 and currently competing in the EFL. The Royals play their home matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and are supported by a passionate fanbase across Berkshire and beyond.
Alongside its football operations, the Club is committed to making a positive impact within the local community through the work of Reading FC Community Trust, delivering programmes that promote education, inclusion, health and wellbeing.
Driven by a commitment to innovation on and off the pitch, Reading FC continues to invest in technology, infrastructure and supporter experience as it builds for the future.
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