Google and Sphere Announce Technology Partnership and Reveal New Details on the AI Technology Behind Upcoming The Wizard of Oz at Sphere

Rhea-AI Summary

Google and Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) have announced a groundbreaking AI technology partnership for 'The Wizard of Oz at Sphere', premiering August 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. The collaboration leverages Google Cloud and Google DeepMind's advanced AI models including Gemini, Veo 2, and Imagen 3 to transform the classic film for Sphere's immersive display.

The project processes 1.2 petabytes of data using Google's infrastructure to enhance the film to 16k resolution for Sphere's 160,000-square-foot interior display plane. Key technical implementations include super resolution enhancement, background expansion through outpainting, and innovative performance generation allowing extended character appearances on screen.

Positive

• Strategic partnership with tech giant Google enhances technological capabilities
• First-of-its-kind engineering implementation potentially creating competitive advantages
• Access to advanced AI infrastructure and expertise from Google Cloud and DeepMind

Negative

• None.

Insights

Technology Partnerships Expert

This Google-Sphere partnership represents a significant technological advancement for Sphere Entertainment's immersive capabilities. By leveraging Google Cloud and DeepMind's AI technologies (Gemini, Veo, Imagen), Sphere gains powerful tools to transform a classic film into an unprecedented immersive experience on the world's highest resolution LED display.

The partnership provides Sphere with critical competitive advantages: proprietary AI enhancement techniques for creating 16K resolution content, sophisticated outpainting capabilities to extend visual environments, and performance generation technology enabling novel storytelling approaches. Processing 1.2 petabytes of data demonstrates the computational scale of this collaboration.

From a business perspective, this partnership positions Sphere at the cutting edge of immersive entertainment technology. The scheduled August 28 opening of The Wizard of Oz at Sphere gives the company a potential flagship attraction that showcases their technological capabilities. This collaboration model could establish a template for future classic film adaptations at Sphere's venue.

While financial terms remain undisclosed, securing Google as an official AI partner delivers substantial technological resources and validates Sphere's approach to immersive entertainment. The partnership enhances Sphere's ability to create truly differentiated experiences that can't be replicated elsewhere, potentially driving stronger ticket sales and establishing new monetization opportunities for premium immersive entertainment.

Entertainment Innovation Analyst

This partnership marks a transformative moment for experiential entertainment. By securing Google as its official AI partner, Sphere establishes itself at the forefront of computational entertainment - creating experiences impossible with traditional production methods alone.

The technological breakthrough here cannot be overstated. The application of Veo for super-resolution and outpainting solves fundamental challenges in adapting standard film content to Sphere's massive 16K x 16K resolution display plane. Most significant is the performance generation capability, which fundamentally alters traditional film editing constraints, allowing for unprecedented narrative immersion.

What's particularly valuable is how this partnership creates a proprietary production pipeline for Sphere. The extensive computational requirements (1.2 petabytes of data processed) create significant barriers to entry for potential competitors. This collaboration essentially enables Sphere to pioneer a new entertainment format that blends classic cinematic content with immersive technology.

For revenue implications, this partnership enables Sphere to transform beloved IP into premium-priced immersive experiences. The Wizard of Oz has multi-generational appeal and cultural significance that creates substantial marketing advantages. If successful, this blueprint could be applied to other iconic films, creating a scalable model for maximizing the venue's unique capabilities while minimizing the risks associated with entirely original content production.

Google named the official AI partner of The Wizard of Oz at Sphere and official AI partner of Sphere

Collaboration between Google and Sphere combines immersive entertainment and cutting-edge technology, similar to how the film's use of Technicolor revolutionized movies nearly 90 years ago

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and LAS VEGAS, April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Google and Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) today announced a new AI technology partnership to help bring the groundbreaking The Wizard of Oz at Sphere to life using generative AI (gen AI). The project, which involves first-of-its-kind engineering work and thousands of creators, coders, VFX artists, and more, will mark a pivotal moment in entertainment technology – and a leap forward for the future of visual storytelling akin to The Wizard of Oz's use of Technicolor nearly 90 years ago.

To present The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, which opens in Las Vegas on August 28, 2025, Google Cloud and Google DeepMind are working together to deploy fine-tuned Gemini models, Veo 2, and Imagen 3 to intelligently enhance the film's resolution, extend backgrounds, and digitally recreate existing characters who would otherwise not appear on the same screen. Sphere is also using Google Cloud's highly scalable and AI-optimized infrastructure to support the massive data and computational demands in building its immersive experiences, with The Wizard of Oz at Sphere processing 1.2 petabytes of data over the course of the project to date.

"The power of generative AI, combined with Google's infrastructure and expertise, is helping us to achieve something extraordinary," said Jim Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO, Sphere Entertainment. "We needed a partner who could push boundaries alongside our teams at Sphere Studios and Magnopus, and Google was the only company equipped to meet the challenge on the world's highest resolution LED screen."

"Our partnership with Sphere on The Wizard of Oz at Sphere is a great example of pushing the boundaries of generative AI to deliver exciting new experiences for audiences – and new opportunities for studios and filmmakers," said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. "We are honored to play a role in such an ambitious project to bring a classic piece of Americana to an entirely new generation of audiences."

Using Google AI to bring The Wizard of Oz at Sphere to Life
Originally released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz was filmed using a revolutionary, three-strip Technicolor 35mm motion picture camera and was only the third Hollywood production to bring this amazing color process to cinema audiences. Nearly 90 years later, Sphere will bring an immersive version of The Wizard of Oz to its 160,000-square-foot interior display plane, using Google AI alongside traditional VFX and film techniques to faithfully expand scenes and enhance characters to deliver a never-before-seen experience that is only possible at Sphere.

Google Cloud and DeepMind are pushing the boundaries of gen AI, employing Gemini, Veo and Imagen models, as well as Google Cloud infrastructure such as the company's custom AI accelerators, Tensor Processor Units (TPUs), Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and more. Key techniques being used for the film include:

• Super Resolution: Veo is being used to intelligently enhance the film's resolution, filling in missing pixels and creating an ultra-crisp 16k image, essential for Sphere's 16k x 16k resolution interior display plane. This process requires sophisticated algorithms capable of understanding and reconstructing intricate details, including landscapes, scenery, and even characters from the original film.
• Outpainting: To expand the film's visual scope for Sphere's immersive environment, Veo are being used to seamlessly extend the backgrounds and characters, creating the feeling that audiences are there with the characters. This involves generating coherent and consistent foreground and midground elements that were true to the original film.
• Performance Generation: Using Veo for generation – combined with Gemini for instructions – the team developed innovative storytelling techniques that allow multiple characters to remain on screen for extended periods, even when traditional editing would have dictated cuts. This enhances the audience's immersion, making them feel like they were part of the epic journey.
• Context Window: Gemini and Veo's extra-long context window capabilities are crucial for maintaining coherence across extended sequences. This allows for the processing of massive datasets, ensuring that the enhanced visuals remain consistent throughout the film.

About Google Cloud
Google Cloud accelerates every organization's ability to digitally transform its business. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology – all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

About Sphere 
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thesphere.com.

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SOURCE Google Cloud

FAQ

When will The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (SPHR) premiere in Las Vegas?

The Wizard of Oz at Sphere will premiere on August 28, 2025, in Las Vegas.

What AI technologies is Google using for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (SPHR)?

Google is using Gemini models, Veo 2, and Imagen 3 AI technologies, along with Cloud infrastructure and TPUs.

How much data is being processed for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (SPHR) project?

The project has processed 1.2 petabytes of data to date.

What resolution will The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (SPHR) be displayed in?

The film will be displayed in 16k x 16k resolution on Sphere's interior display plane.

How large is the display surface for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (SPHR)?

The interior display plane is 160,000 square feet.