Rapid Collaboration After Naver's Technology Explanation in January This Year
Aramco Digital Appeals for Technology Adoption with a Proactive Proposal
On the 5th (local time), at the Naver-Aramco digital partnership signing ceremony held in Saudi Arabia, Naver's Head of External and ESG Policy, Chae Seon-ju (third from the right), and other digital officials from Naver and Aramco are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Naver
Naver has attracted attention for the background behind its digital partnership with Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company and one of the top companies by market capitalization. Naver has decided to embark on digital innovation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with Aramco Digital, a subsidiary of Aramco, and it is said that this partnership resulted from Aramco's active courting efforts.
According to Naver on the 8th, this partnership began when Nabil Al Nuaim, then CEO of Aramco Digital, visited Naver's 1784 building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in March last year. The 1784 building houses various technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, digital twin, and robotics, which he came to see in person.
Three months later, Chaesunju, Naver's Head of External and ESG Policy, along with representatives from Naver Labs and Naver Cloud, visited Dammam, an eastern city in Saudi Arabia where Aramco's headquarters is located. At that time, both sides were still at the exploratory stage rather than discussing specific cooperation plans.
The full-scale discussions began when Tarek Amin, the current CEO of Aramco Digital, took office. Especially in January this year, when Naver introduced its overall technology in Dammam, the dialogue progressed. A Naver official said, "Although the CEO of Aramco Digital changed in the middle, there was still a favorable atmosphere toward Naver's technology." After confirming Aramco's commitment, Cha directly led the concrete collaboration by traveling back and forth between Korea and Saudi Arabia.
The reason Aramco Digital chose Naver as a partner is because it is a company with a diverse business portfolio. Aramco Digital is dedicated to Aramco's digital transformation and technological innovation. They judged that collaborating with Naver would yield results across various IT fields all at once.
The two companies will build a sovereign cloud and super app optimized for the Middle East region, including Saudi Arabia, and cooperate on developing a sovereign AI based on a large-scale Arabic language model (LLM). In addition, they will promote smart building and city construction by utilizing technologies Naver possesses, such as cloud, robotics, and digital twin.
A Naver official said, "Naver's diverse business portfolio is positively evaluated in the Middle East region," adding, "The fact that there are not many companies that can handle multiple businesses at once also had a significant impact on the success of this partnership."
The Saudi government has established the 'Vision 2030' economic plan, which includes the construction of NEOM City and digital transformation, investing capital worth $500 billion (approximately 665.75 trillion KRW). In October last year, Naver won a $100 million digital twin platform construction project from the Saudi government and is increasing its points of contact. Naver also participated in 'LEAP 2024,' the largest international technology exhibition in the Middle East, showcasing its technologies in cloud, AI, robotics, and autonomous driving.
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