South Korean tech chief ramps up AI infrastructure and GPU investments to broaden next-generation robotics and cloud companies
South Korean web large Naver Corp. is making a decisive transfer to strengthen its synthetic intelligence (AI) capabilities with a 1 trillion gained ($690 million) funding in graphics processing items (GPUs) beginning subsequent 12 months. The big-scale funding is geared toward increasing Naver’s AI infrastructure and advancing its subsequent frontier — bodily AI, a expertise that integrates digital intelligence with real-world techniques similar to robots, logistics, and autonomous platforms.
The announcement was made throughout Naver’s third-quarter earnings name, the place Chief Monetary Officer Kim Hee-cheol mentioned the corporate’s AI initiatives have begun producing measurable enterprise outcomes. Kim famous that capital expenditure will improve progressively, reflecting the rising adoption and monetization of AI throughout Naver’s ecosystem.
A Strategic Shift: From AI Software program to AI Infrastructure
Naver’s Chief Monetary Officer Kim Hee-cheol shared that the corporate plans to allocate round 1 trillion gained completely for GPUs, reflecting a broader push to broaden its AI infrastructure and cloud capabilities. As a part of this technique, Naver has finalized an settlement with Nvidia to amass 60,000 items of its newest Blackwell GPUs — the largest amount secured by any South Korean agency within the U.S. chipmaker’s latest provide deal.
This funding is a part of Nvidia’s broader 14 trillion gained (US$9.5 billion) dedication to provide 260,000 GPUs to South Korean firms, together with Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver Cloud. The partnership underscores how Korean expertise gamers are shifting shortly to safe superior AI computing energy as international competitors intensifies.
Bodily AI: Bridging the Digital and Actual Worlds
The GPUs will function the computational spine of Naver’s bodily AI tasks, which intention to deploy AI that may function autonomously in real-world environments. This contains robotics techniques, digital twins for good cities, and autonomous office platforms.
The corporate plans to make use of these computing sources not only for in-house AI operations, but additionally to generate new income by means of GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) — renting GPU capability to exterior purchasers in each private and non-private sectors. This transfer aligns Naver’s infrastructure growth with a recurring income mannequin, guaranteeing that investments in high-end {hardware} instantly translate into new earnings streams.
Naver’s AIaaS and GPUaaS choices are already contributing to its enterprise division’s 150 billion gained in quarterly income, which grew 3.8% year-on-year, reflecting early demand for high-performance AI computing providers.
Basis Constructed on Years of Analysis
Naver’s pursuit of bodily AI just isn’t new. Its analysis arm, Naver Labs, has been creating robotics and AI-driven navigation techniques since 2017. Key improvements embody:
- ARC – a robotics working system that coordinates multi-robot and human environments.
- ALIKE – an indoor positioning system that helps autonomous navigation.
These applied sciences are being examined at Naver’s headquarters, demonstrating the corporate’s ambition to use AI and robotics past software program — integrating them into industrial and industrial settings.
CEO Choi Soo-yeon described bodily AI because the “subsequent progress pillar” for Naver, saying it’ll “mix robotics, knowledge, and generative AI into an ecosystem that transforms each digital and bodily industries.”
File Monetary Efficiency Backed by AI Development
Naver’s increasing AI enterprise has already begun to reshape its monetary profile.
For Q3 2025, Naver recorded:
- Income: 3.14 trillion gained (↑15.6% YoY)
- Working revenue: 570.6 billion gained (↑8.6% YoY)
- Web revenue: 734.7 billion gained (↑38.6% YoY)
This marks Naver’s strongest quarter ever, with AI integration rising as a key progress driver. CFO Kim emphasised that the corporate’s bodily AI growth will create “revenue-linked funding alternatives,” particularly as GPUaaS features traction amongst company and institutional purchasers.
“On-Service AI” Expands Throughout Naver’s Platforms
Naver’s broader AI technique, often called “on-service AI,” is centered on embedding AI options throughout its ecosystem — together with search, e-commerce, content material, and fintech.
CEO Choi defined throughout the earnings name:
“To attain the worth of on-service AI, we’ve centered on advancing AI integration throughout our providers and companies, which has led to tangible outcomes. Because the period of AI brokers approaches, we’ll broaden AI adoption throughout extra areas to strengthen competitiveness and drive international progress.”
Key developments embody:
- AI Briefing: A generative AI function that summarizes and contextualizes search outcomes. It now covers 15% of queries, up from 10% at launch, and is anticipated to succeed in 20% by year-end, with 30 million customers.
- AI Procuring Assistant: Launching in spring 2026, enabling conversational product suggestions.
- AI Personalization in Naver Plus Retailer: Increasing from 31% to 80%, bettering product discovery and conversion charges.
These options show how Naver’s AI applied sciences are being commercialized instantly into providers that improve consumer engagement and monetization.
Positioning for the Robotics Future
Past digital AI, Naver is intensifying efforts in robotics and autonomous management platforms. In accordance with CEO Choi, the corporate’s robotic working system (OS) and management platform account for practically 39% of the worldwide robotics OS market — a testomony to Naver’s rising technological competitiveness.
Choi said,
“We’re assured that our robotics expertise is now at a world-class degree, and we’re centered on securing worldwide references.”
This transfer locations Naver in a singular place amongst South Korean tech firms — one that mixes AI, robotics, and cloud infrastructure right into a cohesive innovation ecosystem.
Outlook: AI Infrastructure as Naver’s Subsequent Development Engine
Naver’s dual-track technique — constructing AI-driven client platforms whereas increasing industrial and infrastructure-level AI companies — positions it as a key participant in South Korea’s fast-evolving tech panorama.
The corporate’s aggressive GPU investments, deep collaboration with Nvidia, and speedy integration of AI throughout enterprise items underscore its intent to compete not solely as a digital service supplier however as a international AI infrastructure firm.
As AI continues to reshape industries, Naver’s imaginative and prescient of bodily AI and GPUaaS-based monetization might turn into a blueprint for the way tech corporations evolve past software program and into the bodily, linked world of clever machines.
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