Naver to Integrate AI and Robotics Technology in Saudi NEOM City

Signed MOU with Saudi Government
Providing Digital Twin and Super App Technologies

Naver is applying digital twin and super app technologies to Saudi Arabia's mega advanced city, 'NEOM City.' Starting with this technology export, the company plans to collaborate multifacetedly on the digital transformation projects promoted by the Saudi government.

On the 30th (local time), Naver signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Saudi government at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing building located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Attendees at the signing ceremony included Majed Al Hogail, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing of Saudi Arabia; Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment; Chae Seon-ju, Head of Naver's Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) and External Policy; Seok Sang-ok, CEO of Naver Labs; and Han Sang-young, Executive Director of Naver Cloud, among other officials.

Through the MOU, Naver agreed to apply digital twin technology to NEOM City. Digital twin is a virtual world that scans entire real-world spaces or objects. It is a smart city infrastructure technology necessary for implementing high-precision maps required for robots or autonomous vehicles, city monitoring, and simulations based on environmental changes. Naver applied this technology to its second office building, '1784.' At the end of last year, it commercialized the digital twin solution 'Arc-i' through its cloud platform.

Naver will also develop a 'super app' (tentative name) to be provided by the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing. The super app is a public service app aimed at Saudi citizens. It will serve to provide public services linked with cutting-edge digital technologies applied in NEOM City, such as autonomous vehicles, robots, and artificial intelligence (AI). Naver plans to carry out the app development project based on its massive AI 'HyperCLOVA X' and cloud infrastructure.

On the 30th (local time), the signing ceremony held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was attended by Chaesunju, Head of ESG and External Policy at Naver, Majed Al Hogail, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment, and other officials.
[Photo by Naver]

In addition, Naver will cooperate across the entire national-level information and communication technology (ICT) projects promoted by Saudi Arabia. Naver is the only IT company that signed an MOU simultaneously with the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Investment, raising expectations for mid- to long-term collaboration starting with NEOM City.

Saudi Arabia is currently undertaking the NEOM City project, the world's largest smart city. It has shown interest in Naver's ICT technologies, including precise positioning and mapping technologies for the 500-meter-high vertical city and know-how in robot operation. Beyond NEOM City, Saudi Arabia is promoting comprehensive digital transformation at the national level.

In November last year, Naver participated in the 'One Team Korea' Saudi bidding support group led by Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Since then, Naver has maintained exchanges following a meeting with Minister Al Hogail. The minister later visited 1784 to experience Naver's technology firsthand and discuss potential applications. In February this year, Saudi government agencies related to AI and data also visited Naver.

Chae, the head of ESG and External Policy, said, "We will actively cooperate to contribute to the national digital transformation promoted by the Saudi government," adding, "We will strive to become a global IT company by further focusing on pioneering the global market."

This is an evaluation that Naver's steady investment in advanced technologies has led to tangible results. Since establishing the first domestic internet company's data center, 'Gak Chuncheon,' in 2013, Naver has accumulated over ten years of stable operational experience. In 2017, it founded Naver Labs and has continued research and development (R&D) investments in robotics, autonomous driving, and digital twin technologies. Last year, it spent 1.809 trillion KRW on R&D, investing about 25% of its annual revenue in technology each year.

Naver plans to accelerate its global market expansion by leveraging AI and cloud technologies. To this end, it integrated its business-to-business (B2B) business organization centered on Naver Cloud earlier this year. The goal is to create synergy by promoting infrastructure, platform, and solution businesses based on the cloud. Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, stated, "This year, we will seek to expand profitability by integrating B2B businesses centered on Naver Cloud."