Naver Hosts 'AI RUSH 2023' to Support Startup Innovation Using HyperCLOVA X

Naver Cloud announced on the 14th that it will hold the project “Naver AI RUSH 2023,” which supports the growth of startups by utilizing the large-scale AI “HyperCLOVA X.”

Naver AI RUSH is an event held annually since 2019 and is now in its fifth edition. It began as an “AI Modeling Challenge” where prospective developers and Naver practitioners share technical know-how and develop AI models themselves. Last year, a new category called “AI Service Planning” was added, allowing participants to create new services using HyperCLOVA, the large-scale AI developed by Naver for the first time in Korea.

This year, as large-scale AI technology is gaining more attention in the business sector, the project will be further expanded beyond a platform for students to share technology and experience. It will be organized as an opportunity for various startups to grow their businesses using Naver AI technology.

This year, a total of 20 tech startups operating in industries such as healthcare, content, data, and education will participate in Naver AI RUSH. Since the 10th, Naver Cloud has been providing the participating companies with API access to Naver’s new large-scale AI, “HyperCLOVA X,” and each startup will build and showcase its own service in demo format using this technology.

Participating startups will receive multifaceted support for business growth. They can use HyperCLOVA X before its official release and apply it to their services, and will be provided with credits worth up to 100 million KRW to use Naver Cloud Platform’s technical solutions. They will also have close collaboration opportunities with Naver Cloud’s practitioners to discuss various technical and business partnerships, as well as support in marketing areas such as company presentations and promotional material production needed for sales.

In particular, in collaboration with Naver’s technology investment organization D2SF (D2 Startup Factory), promising startups from various fields have been recruited as participants, raising expectations for innovative services utilizing large-scale AI. Participating startups such as “PetPeoTalk” and “SelectStar” are already building services using HyperCLOVA X.

Ha Jung-woo, head of Naver Cloud AI Innovation Center, said, “Naver has provided HyperCLOVA, released two years ago, to over 700 startups and applied it to various Naver services, establishing one of the most advanced AI business ecosystems globally. Based on this know-how, through this Naver AI RUSH, we will support the emergence of AI innovation services that can become new growth engines for startups, and will strive to build a broader large-scale AI ecosystem including students and research institutions in the future.”