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TEAM NAVER Partners with Aramco, Signs MOU for AI–Cloud Technology Expansion in Saudi Arabia

- The collaboration aims to develop Sovereign AI, Cloud, and Super apps customized for local demands

- Cooperative advancement of smart buildings and cities using cloud, robotics, and digital twin-tech

- NAVER is recognized as Aramco Digital’s top partner, being one of the global companies that have secured foundational technologies including AI and Cloud

March 6, 2024

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TEAM NAVER is rapidly expanding its operations into Saudi Arabia.

On March 5 (local time), TEAM NAVER announced its partnership with Aramco Digital, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, aimed at digital innovation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Aramco Digital, a digital and technology subsidiary of the global energy and chemicals conglomerate Aramco, is dedicated to spearheading digital and technological progress across various sectors.

Under this partnership, the two firms will collaborate to create a sovereign cloud and super app tailored for Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, as well as build a sovereign AI utilizing an Arabic large language model (LLM). TEAM NAVER aims to develop AI models that are fine-tuned to the region’s unique cultural and linguistic attributes, driven by the concept of “Sovereign AI” and leveraging its proprietary LLM technology to provide a range of solutions.

As one of the few global companies to develop and manage its LLM from the initial pre-training stage, TEAM NAVER highlighted its distinct position as the sole entity, excluding the major US and Chinese tech giants, to offer technologies and infrastructure solutions for efficient management of expensive LLMs.

Moreover, TEAM NAVER and Aramco Digital intend to merge their capabilities to develop smart buildings and cities, leveraging TEAM NAVER’s expertise in cloud computing, robotics, and digital twin technologies. This partnership aims to fulfill the vision for a smart city, which the CEO of NAVER LABS, Seok Sang-ok, unveiled at the “LEAP 2024” keynote.

The signing ceremony was attended by major executives from both companies, including Tareq Amin, CEO of Aramco Digital; Chae Seon-ju, President of NAVER’s ESG and External Policy; Kim Yu-won, CEO of NAVER CLOUD; and Seok Sang-ok, CEO of NAVER LABS. NAVER added that formal discussions on the collaboration proposal began when Chae, President of NAVER’s ESG and External Policy, visited Aramco’s Dammam headquarters in Saudi Arabia. The companies successfully established their partnership in just two months.

Chae commented, “Aramco Digital is the ideal partner for deploying NAVER’s sophisticated technologies in cloud, AI, and digital twin throughout Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. It’s gratifying to have our technological prowess acknowledged by a global corporation, and we look forward to expanding NAVER’s technological reach into more regions through this opportunity.”