U.S. chip giant Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang (R), accompanied by Lee Hae-jin, founder and Chair of internet giant Naver Corp., acknowledge visitors during their meeting at the Naver headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, 08 June 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
July 27 (Asia Today) — Nvidia plans to invest $1 billion in South Korean technology company Naver as the companies expand a partnership to build large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Naver said Monday it would issue about 7.24 million new shares to Nvidia through a private placement. The transaction would give the U.S. chipmaker a stake of about 4.5%, making it Naver’s third-largest shareholder.
Payment for the shares is scheduled for Oct. 30.
The investment would deepen a partnership announced in June to build global AI factories serving demand for sovereign AI, which refers to AI infrastructure and models operated under a country’s own laws and data controls.
The companies previously focused on supplying graphics processing units and cooperating on technology. Nvidia’s planned equity investment would broaden the relationship into a strategic partnership involving computing infrastructure, software, customers and capital.
Naver said Nvidia decided to invest because of the South Korean company’s full-stack AI capabilities, which include data centers, graphics processor clusters, cloud platforms, large language models and consumer services.
Naver operates graphics processor infrastructure at more than 20 locations across South Korea and plans to use that experience to expand its GPU-as-a-service and sovereign AI businesses.
Naver Cloud and Nvidia are also discussing an AI computing partnership that could include joint development of global AI factory projects.
The companies plan to combine Nvidia computing systems with Naver’s cloud, software and AI services rather than limiting their relationship to hardware purchases.
Nvidia said the proposed investment is subject to customary closing conditions and Naver securing at least $9 billion in committed project financing separate from Nvidia’s investment.
Brookfield has signed a nonbinding term sheet under which the global investment firm could provide up to $9 billion for computing infrastructure. The companies are discussing a structure in which Brookfield would develop or finance graphics processor systems and data centers for Naver’s use.
Naver’s own investment obligations have not been finalized.
The company plans to begin operating a 55-megawatt AI factory in the first half of 2027, expand capacity to 100 megawatts by the end of that year and reach 200 megawatts in 2028.
Its longer-term goal is to develop gigawatt-scale infrastructure.
Naver plans to begin the project at its GAK Sejong data center and later pursue sovereign AI customers in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Middle East.
The company is also seeking to improve shareholder returns. Its board voted Friday to cancel about 4.9 million treasury shares valued at approximately 1.02 trillion won ($694.5 million). The shares are scheduled to be retired Aug. 3.
“The investments by Nvidia and Brookfield will be an important turning point for Naver’s future growth,” Naver Chief Executive Officer Choi Soo-yeon said.
Choi said the company would work to secure AI factory customers and establish itself as a major global AI infrastructure provider.
Naver board Chairman Lee Hae-jin said the partnership would allow the company to take its data center technology and operating expertise to the global market.
“We will actively cooperate with companies around the world to create an AI ecosystem that respects the diversity of countries and communities,” Lee said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260727010009741
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
From journalist to CEO to PM: Han Seong-sook breaks barriers to lead Korea’s AI revolution.
The National Assembly — South Korea’s parliament — has confirmed former Naver CEO Han Seong-sook as the country’s new prime minister. The 59-year-old will be only the second woman to hold the position in South Korea. The first female prime minister was Han Myeong-sook, who served from 2006 to 2007.
After President Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party dominated June’s local elections, he nominated Han as prime minister. She had previously served as minister for small businesses and startups.
Han began her career as a technology journalist, then joined a search startup, and later rose through Naver’s senior ranks. She was the first non-engineer CEO of a major South Korean technology company and, at the time, the only woman outside the chaebol families — the dynasties that control the country’s large industrial conglomerates — to lead a top-100 firm.
During her five-year stint at Naver, Han pushed the company beyond search into shopping, payments, and content generation, cementing its position as the country’s top internet group. With a reputation for hands-on communication, she gave up the top-floor suite for a mid-level office to be closer to staff. When she entered government last year, she became the richest public-office nominee in Korea’s post-1993, post-autocracy history.
“I think one can interpret the nomination of Han Seong-sook as a deliberate signal to markets: a former CEO rather than a career politician is being installed to place a credible tech operator at the heart of Lee’s AI-led growth agenda,” says Hannes Mosler, chair of East Asian Social Sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen. “The promise is continuity in the semiconductor export boom and a pledge to recycle those gains into AI and a sturdier social safety net.”
Yet, Han’s nomination remains clouded by suspicion.
Mosler notes: “The controversies are real, but mostly the standard Korean confirmation gauntlet: multiple-home ownership that sits badly against Lee’s anti-speculation line, a data breach in her own ministry’s startup program, and family property dealings. None look good on her, nor do they look disqualifying, even though you never know.”
The harder question, Mosler argues, is not so much her confirmation, since Lee’s party holds the majority in Parliament, but rather her ability to deliver.
“Korea’s premiership is largely administrative,” he points out, “so Han’s real influence depends on whether President Lee genuinely lets a technocrat drive industrial policy or keeps her as the public face.”
Luca Ventura is a contributing writer based in Italy.
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, Korea Aerospace Industries CEO Kim Jong-chul and Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yoo-won attend a signing ceremony for an aerospace and defense AI partnership in Sacheon, South Korea. Photo courtesy of Naver
July 7 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Naver is teaming with Korea Aerospace Industries to develop artificial intelligence models tailored for defense and future combat systems based on physical AI.
Naver said Tuesday that Naver, Naver Cloud and Korea Aerospace Industries signed a memorandum of understanding Monday at the aircraft maker’s headquarters in Sacheon, South Korea.
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yoo-won and Korea Aerospace Industries CEO Kim Jong-chul attended the signing ceremony.
The agreement brings together one of South Korea’s leading artificial intelligence companies and one of its main aerospace and defense companies as Seoul seeks greater technological self-reliance in national security.
The three companies said advanced AI has become a key factor in future defense competition. They plan to develop sovereign AI optimized for South Korea’s defense and security environment, reducing reliance on foreign technology and lowering security risks.
Sovereign AI generally refers to artificial intelligence systems developed and operated domestically to reflect a country’s language, data, laws and security requirements.
The companies will first work on a defense-specific AI foundation model. They also plan to jointly participate in government-led research and development projects and block-funding programs.
The partnership is expected to create a cooperation framework among industry, government and the military, linking core physical AI technologies for next-generation defense systems with future commercialization.
The scope of cooperation will extend across future combat systems. Korea Aerospace Industries plans to apply AI to unmanned aircraft platforms and AI pilot development for future battlefield environments, including its next-generation air combat system.
The companies also plan to raise the level of autonomy in future aerospace platforms, including manned-unmanned teaming systems.
Naver and Korea Aerospace Industries said they will also expand an AI cooperation ecosystem with defense and aviation suppliers to strengthen South Korea’s domestic AI industry.
“Technological self-reliance in national defense and security is directly connected to national sovereignty, making it essential to secure independent sovereign AI infrastructure,” Choi said. “By combining Team Naver’s advanced AI capabilities with Korea Aerospace Industries’ defense infrastructure, we will do our best to strengthen South Korea’s defense technology sovereignty and create new global competitiveness for the future defense industry.”
Kim said global competition in defense AI is intensifying.
“The three companies need to respond jointly by combining their core capabilities,” Kim said. “By bringing together Korea Aerospace Industries’ aerospace and defense expertise with Team Naver’s AI and cloud technology, South Korea can establish defense AI technology sovereignty and improve global competitiveness in unmanned aircraft and future combat systems based on physical AI.”
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260707010002305
Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang, left, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin appear at Naver’s Vision Studio at its 1784 headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Monday. Photo courtesy of Naver
June 12 (Asia Today) — OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman is expected to visit Naver on Monday, a week after Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang met with the South Korean technology company’s leadership.
Industry sources said Altman plans to visit South Korea during a two-day trip beginning Sunday and meet officials from major Korean companies, including Naver, Kakao and Samsung Electronics, to discuss artificial intelligence cooperation.
The expected Naver visit comes shortly after Huang visited Naver’s 1784 headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Monday and met with Lee Hae-jin, Naver’s founder and chairman.
The back-to-back visits by two of the most influential figures in the global AI industry are drawing renewed attention to Naver’s role in the sector. Industry officials said OpenAI may be interested in Naver’s data, service ecosystem and experience operating consumer platforms at scale.
Naver has built large user data assets through search, shopping, content, community, mapping and reservation services. As competition in generative AI increasingly depends on access to high-quality data, those assets are viewed as one of Naver’s main strengths.
Naver recently outlined what it calls a “product-native LLM” strategy, saying it will optimize AI for specific services such as search, shopping, maps and reservations rather than rely only on a single general-purpose model.
The company develops its own AI models and also operates a creator ecosystem of about 20 million people, with more than 630 million pieces of content produced annually. It also owns large-scale data center infrastructure and runs the services where AI can be applied directly to users.
A Naver official said competition in AI is changing quickly.
“In the past, the key was developing a better model,” the official said. “Now, the ability to secure high-quality data, service experience and the infrastructure to support them is emerging as a decisive factor.”
Naver is also seeking to expand AI search into agentic AI services, in which AI does not simply answer a user’s question but can help complete tasks such as reservations and purchases.
Global interest in Naver also grew after Huang’s visit this week. During his meeting with Lee, the Nvidia chief described Naver as a “world-class AI company.”
Huang cited possible cooperation with Naver in several areas, including participation in Nvidia’s Nemotron Alliance, the development of AI factories and robotics. He said Naver was selected because it has world-class cloud technology and AI talent.
Industry officials said Nvidia appears to view Naver as an AI infrastructure partner, while OpenAI may see potential in Naver’s data and service ecosystem.
“Naver’s combined strength in AI models, data, services and infrastructure is attracting attention from global AI companies,” one industry official said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260612010004347
Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang, left, and Naver founder and board Chairman Lee Hae-jin greet attendees at Naver’s 1784 headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Monday. Photo by Asia Today
June 8 (Asia Today) — Naver said Monday it will work with Nvidia to build a gigawatt-scale artificial intelligence factory, starting from its hyperscale data center in Sejong.
Naver founder and board Chairman Lee Hae-jin and Chief Executive Choi Soo-yeon met Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang at Naver’s 1784 headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, to discuss a joint business road map and global expansion strategy.
Huang greeted employees and visitors at the building, saying, “I love Naver.” He also joined a Naver Webtoon event and wrote, “Don’t worry! I have GPUs!” in a blank space on a display.
Naver and Nvidia said they agreed to pursue a joint project to build a large-scale global AI factory. The partnership goes beyond technology cooperation, covering demand development, investment and infrastructure construction across the value chain.
Naver will participate as a core partner sharing business results and risks.
The project will be based at Gak Sejong, Naver’s hyperscale data center. Naver plans to begin operating 55 megawatts of infrastructure in the first half of 2027, expand to 100 megawatts later that year and reach 200 megawatts in 2028. The company ultimately aims to build gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure.
Naver plans to use Gak Sejong to serve AI demand not only in South Korea but also in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The cooperation centers on combining Naver’s data-center and GPU cluster operation capabilities with Nvidia’s DSX platform. Nvidia DSX integrates chips, servers, software and data-center operating technologies for AI factories. The platform is designed to lower AI model training and inference costs and speed up infrastructure deployment.
Naver plans to use the technology to expand AI infrastructure services for companies, governments and industrial clients.
The companies also plan to broaden technical cooperation. Naver has been improving its HyperCLOVA X AI model by using Nvidia’s open large language model Nemotron. It is also working to develop a “Seoul world model” by combining Nvidia’s Cosmos world foundation model with Naver’s street-view and spatial modeling technologies.
The cooperation is expected to expand into physical AI, robotics and digital twins.
The meeting marked another step in the companies’ existing partnership. Lee and Huang met last year during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju to discuss cooperation on physical AI platforms.
Naver 1784 is considered a showcase for robotics, digital twins and cloud technologies. Huang was expected to review areas for expanded cooperation during his visit.
Naver is seeking to move beyond its role as an internet services company and become a global AI infrastructure provider. Huang recently introduced Naver Cloud as a key partner in the global AI ecosystem during Nvidia GTC Taipei 2026. Naver said it plans to accelerate its sovereign AI and AI data-center businesses through cooperation with Nvidia.
Naver shares also rose Monday. The stock closed at 279,000 won, or about $181, up 9.20% from the previous trading session, according to the Korea Exchange. Market analysts attributed the gain to investor expectations for the large-scale AI factory project and Naver’s global AI infrastructure expansion.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260608010002635
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang delivers his keynote speech as part of the COMPUTEX 2026 AI exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, 01 June 2026. Jensan Huang officially announced NVIDIA’s new products and various AI integration. Photo by RITCHIE B. TONGO / EPA
June 2 (Asia Today) — Naver Cloud is moving to expand its presence in the global artificial intelligence infrastructure market through a deeper partnership with Nvidia.
The company aims to combine its HyperCLOVA X large-scale AI model and sovereign AI capabilities with Nvidia’s AI infrastructure platform to become a key player in the era of AI factories.
Industry officials said Tuesday that Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won attended the Nvidia Cloud Partner Summit in Taiwan and outlined the company’s strategic cooperation with Nvidia.
The partnership is drawing attention because it goes beyond a simple graphics processing unit supply arrangement and extends across infrastructure, AI models and services.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang introduced Naver Cloud as a major AI-native cloud partner in the global AI ecosystem during his keynote speech at GTC Taipei 2026 on Monday.
The two companies also plan to expand cooperation in large language models. Naver Cloud plans to use Nvidia’s open large language model technology, Nemotron 3 Ultra, to advance HyperCLOVA X. The companies also plan to jointly study model optimization and core technologies.
Cooperation will also continue in physical AI. In March, Naver Cloud unveiled the Seoul World Model, a digital recreation of Seoul built with Nvidia’s Cosmos physical AI platform.
The Seoul World Model was trained on South Korean map data and 1.2 million panoramic images collected across Seoul, allowing it to reproduce real road environments and spatial structures.
Naver Cloud plans to target the global AI market by emphasizing its full-stack capabilities, which combine its own AI models and cloud infrastructure. The company also plans to expand sovereign AI projects that protect national data sovereignty by working with governments and local companies.
Naver board chair Lee Hae-jin and Huang are expected to meet soon in South Korea and disclose specific plans for the AI factory project.
“The AI industry paradigm is shifting from models to inference-focused AI factories that can operate large-scale infrastructure reliably,” Kim said. “Our cooperation with Nvidia is not a simple supply relationship but a strategic decision to expand the global AI ecosystem together.”
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260602010000541