Naver (CEO Choi Soo-yeon) has decided to cooperate in various ways within the national level digital transformation (DX) promoted by the Saudi Arabian government.
To this end, on the thirtieth (local time), Naver, Naver Labs, and Naver Cloud held a three way partnership for mutual cooperation with the Ministry of Government Administration and Housing (MOMRAH) and the Ministry of Investment (MISA) on the Ministry of Government Administration and Housing constructing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged.
On the signing ceremony, Saudi Arabia’s Autonomous Housing Minister Majed Al-Hogail, Vice Minister Mussad Al-Otaybi, Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Fali, Vice Minister Fahad Al-Naim, Naver ESG and External Policy Representative Seon-joo Chae, Naver Labs CEO Seok Sang-ok, and Naver Labs CEO Han Sang-young attended the signing ceremony. Director Cloud and others attended.
This MOU signing with the Ministry of Autonomous Administrative Housing and the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia is the results of Naver’s regular investment in prior technology.
Naver’s data center ‘Gak Chuncheon’, which was established in 2013, has amassed stable ‘3-no (non-stop, no accident, no disaster)’ operation experience for greater than 10 years. This know-how and experience led to regular and stable R&D investment in prior technologies resembling robots, autonomous driving, and digital twins even after Naver Labs was established in 2017.
Saudi Arabia is making various efforts for omnidirectional digital transformation on the national level, including the world’s largest smart city ‘NEOM City’ project.
With this business agreement as a chance, Naver and Saudi Arabia will cooperate comprehensively across ICT projects for digital transformation on the national level, including constructing various digital services.
Representatively, Team Naver’s AI/robot-based digital twin technology solution is used for simulation and monitoring of cities in Saudi Arabia, or the ‘Super App (tentative name)’ to be provided by the Ministry of Autonomous Administrative Housing of Saudi Arabia can be developed with Team Naver’s super-scale AI. It is predicted that the project shall be developed based on the cloud.
Chae Seon-joo, CEO of Naver ESG and External Policy, said, “Because the technology of ‘Team Naver’, which has been built up through long-term investment, has been recognized in earnest in the worldwide market, we’re actively working to contribute to the national digital transformation promoted by the Saudi Arabian government. We are going to cooperate,” he said. “With this case, which led to practical cooperation after participating within the ‘One Team Korea’ order support group, we’ll make more efforts to pioneer the worldwide market in the longer term and strive to change into a worldwide IT company.”
Meanwhile, Naver and Saudi Arabia have continued their exchanges, starting with Naver’s participation within the ‘One Team Korea’ Saudi Arabia Order Support Group hosted by Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong in November of last yr and having a gathering with Minister Al Hogail.
Reporter Juyoung Lee of AI Times juyoung09@aitimes.com