Number of Visitors to Headquarters: 3,500 from 65 Countries
Interest from Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc... Linked to Business Outcomes
Next Year Marks 50th Anniversary of Korea-Qatar Diplomatic Relations... Rising Expectations
The loud sound of a drone echoed through the lobby of Naver's second headquarters building '1784' located in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, around 4 p.m. on the 12th. It was the sound of a drone equipped with a large camera from a Qatari documentary team filming the view of the headquarters building from the first floor lobby. The filming team focused on highlighting cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twin technologies embedded throughout 1784, including the autonomous delivery robot 'Rookie' that delivers coffee and packages.
Naver is attracting attention in Qatar, considered one of the 'Middle East Big 3' alongside Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Qatar approaching next year, expectations for a 'second Middle East boom' are growing.
Since its first public opening last year, the cumulative number of visitors to the Naver 1784 building reached approximately 3,500 as of the 14th. Visitors came from a total of 65 countries. Compared to the end of last year, the number of visiting countries increased by 14, and the number of visitors rose by about 1,000.
Visits have especially continued from Middle Eastern countries. Saudi government officials have visited 1784 a total of nine times. Starting with the delegation led by the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing in November last year, officials from key institutions such as the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), National Information Center (NIC), and National Data Management Office (NDMO) have visited Naver. In October, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) visited to discuss technological cooperation with Cha Seon-ju, Naver's Head of External and ESG Policy.
A high-level delegation from the Sharjah royal family, including Prince Sheikh Saud Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, visited Naver 1784 last June to experience robots and more. Photo by Naver
In the UAE, high-ranking government officials and royal family members visited 1784 twice. In June, a high-level royal delegation including Sheikh Saud Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, a prince of the Sharjah Emirate, one of the UAE's constituent emirates, visited the headquarters. Last month, a delegation of about ten people including the UAE Minister of Economy knocked on the door to discuss the potential integration of advanced technologies such as digital twin, robotics, sovereign cloud, and generative AI. Including visits to Pangyo Techno One Tower, where major affiliates like Webtoon and Snow are located, exchanges with key UAE figures have occurred six times.
The continuous visits from various countries are because 1784 is a fusion of Naver's advanced technologies. Thanks to the 'cloud brain,' 100 robots work efficiently without getting lost. The multi-robot intelligence system 'Arc' acts as the brain. Instead of managing each robot individually, Arc is linked with various infrastructures within the building. To increase turnover, a robot-only elevator resembling a Ferris wheel was installed. The entire building is digitally replicated as a digital twin and uploaded to the Naver Cloud Platform, connecting all the robots. Cameras attached to the robots become their 'eyes.' Newly reflected information from the cameras is implemented in the digital twin and utilized during monitoring and management stages.
Experiencing Naver's technology at the headquarters has also led to business achievements. In October, Naver won a $100 million (134.5 billion KRW) contract to build a digital twin platform in Saudi Arabia. Over five years, the project involves constructing and operating a cloud-based 3D digital modeling digital twin platform targeting Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and five other cities. Saudi Arabia plans to use the platform for urban planning, monitoring, and flood prediction. Naver's metaverse subsidiary Naver Z signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the 11th of this month with Sharjah Media City in the UAE for collaboration on metaverse-related content and technology. An IT industry insider hinted, "Visits from Middle Eastern officials to Naver headquarters continue daily to the extent that a dedicated guidance space needs to be prepared."
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