Naver Cloud Accepts Defeat in National AI Project: "We Respect the Ministry's Decision... Not Considering Second Chance"

Naver Cloud, which was eliminated in the first stage evaluation of the government's Proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) Foundation Project, has stated that it respects the government's decision. Naver Cloud also clarified that it is not considering participating even though the government has decided to select one additional elite team.

On January 15, following the conclusion of the first stage evaluation for the Proprietary AI Foundation Project by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Naver Cloud released a statement saying, "We respect the decision of the Ministry of Science and ICT," and added, "We will continue to make multifaceted efforts to enhance our AI technology competitiveness going forward."

Participants are experiencing the Naver Cloud booth at the first presentation of the 'Proprietary AI Foundation Model' project held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Naver Cloud delivered this message through a statement released after holding an emergency meeting immediately following the announcement of the first stage evaluation results by the Ministry of Science and ICT that afternoon.

Naver Cloud further explained that it is "not considering (participation)" regarding the government's plan to select one additional elite team. Both Naver Cloud, which was eliminated in the first stage evaluation, and the NC AI Consortium are eligible to apply for the additional elite team selection by the government.

Meanwhile, NC AI, another team that was eliminated, has not yet issued a specific statement.