On the 5th (local time), at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Team Naver and Aramco Digital held in Saudi Arabia, Chaesunju (third from the right), Naver's Head of External and ESG Policy, and officials from Naver and Aramco Digital are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Naver
Naver is accelerating its entry into the Middle East region through cooperation with a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco.
According to Naver on the 6th, Team Naver signed a partnership on the 5th (local time) with Aramco's subsidiary 'Aramco Digital' for digital innovation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including Saudi Arabia.
Through this agreement, they plan to build a sovereign cloud and super app optimized for the Middle East region including Saudi Arabia, and collaborate on the development of sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) based on an Arabic large language model (LLM). Aramco Digital is Aramco's digital and technology specialized subsidiary aiming to lead digital transformation and technological innovation. Team Naver plans to build AI models optimized for local culture and language based on its own LLM technology under the direction of sovereign AI, and provide various solutions based on this.
Team Naver develops and operates its LLM independently from the pre-training stage. The company stated that aside from big tech companies in the US and China, Naver is the only company capable of proposing optimization technologies, infrastructure preparation, and solutions for the efficient operation of high-cost LLMs. The two companies also plan to join forces in constructing smart buildings and smart cities by utilizing technologies such as cloud, robotics, and digital twin owned by Team Naver.
The signing ceremony was attended by key executives including Tarek Amin, CEO of Aramco Digital; Chae Sun-joo, Head of Naver External & ESG Policy; Kim Yoo-won, CEO of Naver Cloud; and Seok Sang-ok, CEO of Naver Labs. After Chae Sun-joo visited Aramco headquarters in January and received a collaboration proposal from Aramco Digital, full-scale discussions began.
Chae Sun-joo said, "Aramco Digital is the best partner to implement Team Naver's advanced technology portfolio such as cloud, AI, and digital twin in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East region," and added, "Based on the successful digital innovation cases created with Aramco Digital, we hope Naver's technology will actively expand to other regions as well."
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