Intel staged its most ambitious drone light show to date to illuminate the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Over 1,200 Intel Shooting Star drones flew in formation, setting a Guinness World Record in the process.

A fleet of 1,200 Intel Shooting Star drones took flight to illuminate the Opening Ceremony, creating mesmerizing, volumetric formations - like a dove, a snowboarder, and the iconic Olympic Rings. Post-ceremony, smaller light shows decorated a half-dozen medal ceremonies throughout the games, culminating with a grand finale flight during the Closing Ceremony featuring the 2018 mascot and the PyeongChang 2018 logo.

Each lightweight drone is equipped with LEDs capable of emitting 4 billion color combinations. Geographic landscapes are reconstructed in Autodesk to visualize the design and scale of animations against target topography. The drones are controlled by a single pilot using Intel’s proprietary flight-planning software.

Multiple tests and shoots were completed over eleven nights to complete all animations. Harsh weather conditions impacted battery life and high winds grounded flight attempts, but the Intel Drone Team persevered to deliver an innovative entertainment experience, setting a Guinness World Record in the process.

The Opening Ceremony drone light show and additional coverage garnered over 12 billion earned media impressions in under 12 hours, including credit from Mike Tirico and Katie Couric during the live broadcast, interviews with key Drone Team members on NBC and Good Morning America, and the front page of the New York Post. It helped Intel garner more than double the social mentions during the Olympics than any other sponsor, shifting the world’s perception of Intel from the maker of chips to the enabler of experiences.