Naver Cloud, the cloud computing and artificial intelligence arm of South Korea’s tech giant Naver, is set to drive the country’s global export growth in the AI industry. With its AI services easily tailored to meet the needs of buyers outside of China and the United States, Naver expects its exports to double within the next three years.
South Korea possesses its own foundational artificial intelligence models, making it one of the few countries to have such capabilities. In addition, Naver, with its dominant local search engine, provides strong competition to Alphabet’s Google. This unique positioning allows Korean firms to benefit from the fact that the technological standards set by the US and China may not always align with the specific requirements of other countries in terms of regulations, user preferences, and company needs.
Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yuwon highlighted the challenges faced by these dominant tech players, stating, “The U.S. and China hold technological hegemony… They set the standards, which often means their technologies are a difficult fit for situations in countries around them.” This provides Korean firms with a competitive edge, as their AI services can be seamlessly integrated into the local ecosystem.
While Naver declined to share exact export figures, its affiliates recently secured a $100 million contract to provide digital twin mapping services to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. This success has paved the way for more regional projects, with advanced talks underway with entities in the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, and Singapore.
These countries, eager to adopt AI, are looking to create their own AI ecosystems rather than relying solely on US or Chinese solutions. Naver Cloud’s suite of services, including AI, cloud computing, corporate services, and data center operations, positions the company to fulfill these demands.
To emphasize the compatibility and reliability of Naver’s services, Kim stated, “When you’re not choosing a U.S. ‘global standard’ service, there are concerns that what you’re buying may not be compatible with the next technology… not so with Naver.” By offering a comprehensive range of services and working in areas such as robotics, Naver enables overseas clients to access a complete solution tailored to their needs.
With its commitment to driving South Korea’s global export growth in the AI industry, Naver Cloud is poised to make a significant impact. As the demand for AI continues to rise, Naver’s unique position as a provider of tailored AI solutions positions the company as a key player in the global market.
In the words of CEO Kim Yuwon, “We have seen great success in securing contracts and partnerships, and we are confident that Naver will continue to drive the growth of South Korea’s AI exports worldwide.”
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