South Korean tech giant to display Saudi-tailored AI models at LEAP 2025
Organized by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, LEAP is the largest tech event in the Middle East. This year, the four-day event is expected to draw nearly 700 startups, more than 1,000 expert speakers, 1,800 tech brands and 170,000 visitors.
Naver is among the few companies globally that has a comprehensive AI value chain, spanning data centers, cloud infrastructure and AI technologies. Its LEAP 2025 exhibition is themed 'AI for Saudi Arabia, Powered by Naver' and will feature services currently provided in South Korea, with a focus on their potential adaptation for the Kingdom's market.
These include an AI-powered tutor, an AI-driven electronic medical records service that converts conversations with patients to text-based documentation, and Naver Works, a tool that can summarize, translate, and generate emails.
The Korean company will present the potential localization of these technologies in Saudi Arabia's education, healthcare, media and labor sectors.
'We aim to present AI models tailored specifically for Saudi Arabia, ensuring that the Kingdom maintains its own sovereign AI capabilities,' Han Dong-geun, Naver's public relations officer, told Arab News.
'We already have two data centers and have cloud business know-how. And we also have AI experience in the form of LLMs (large language models). And so we want to introduce this value chain at LEAP 2025. AI development needs all three of these components, and we have all these capabilities.'
Naver has consistently emphasized the importance of sovereign AI, warning that the expansion of generative AI — driven primarily by US and Chinese tech companies — could threaten the technological independence of other countries.
The company believes its HyperCLOVA X — a Korean-based LLM, which is a type of AI program that can generate and understand text — is an example of a self-sufficient AI ecosystem that could serve as a model for Saudi Arabia's own AI development.
'South Korea is the third country in the world to develop its own LLM ... We want to collaborate with Saudi Arabia and share our know-how and experiences to develop a custom AI model that preserves Saudi Arabia's AI sovereignty,' Han said.
Saudi Arabia is emerging as the key Middle East market for the Korean tech giant, which is accelerating its foray into the region.
In 2023, the company won a $100 million contract to develop a digital twin platform — a software system that creates and manages a virtual replica, or 'digital twin,' of a physical asset, process, or system, enabling users to monitor its real-time behavior and simulate various scenarios.
Last year, it also signed a memorandum of understanding with Aramco Digital and the Saudi Data and AI Authority to collaborate on the first Arabic LLM project, and partnered with Saudi Arabia's National Housing Company to advance smart city projects and urban planning.
Naver is South Korea's largest search engine and internet portal provider. Its business portfolio includes cloud services, AI, e-commerce, fintech, and digital content. The company logged a net income of $1.3 billion in 2024, according to regulatory filings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
35 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Saudi business delegation arrives in Damascus for Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum
A large Saudi business delegation arrived in Damascus on Wednesday to attend the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum – being held at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to Al Arabiya correspondent, the forum will kick off on Thursday. The forum aims to explore the potential of cooperation and deals to promote sustainable development. The visit is expected to see the signing of trade deals worth more than 15 billion Saudi riyals ($4 billion). During the visit, a cement factory in the industrial city of Adra in Damascus countryside will be launched. The delegation, led by Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, included over 100 business investors. The Saudi embassy in Damascus on Tuesday announced the introduction of special travel permits for businesspeople and investors from both countries, aimed at facilitating mutual visits and exploring investment opportunities.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
New Arabic data governance platform to ‘elevate local talent,' says Governata co-founder
RIYADH: A newly launched platform will allow Saudi companies to align their data regulations with national AI policies, supporting local talent, according to the company's co-founder. Governata enables companies to coordinate with the Kingdom's National Data Management Office, or NDMO, and Saudi Data and AI Authority, or SDAIA, guidelines. All data remains hosted domestically to ensure compliance and cost control. Governata co-founder, Djamel Mohand, spoke to Arab News about the company's localization strategy. Mohand emphasized three advantages for Saudi businesses. First, on talent development: 'They can leverage local talents better,' he said, through locally built software that used government initiatives such as MISK and SDAIA. This enabled 'thousands of homegrown data engineers, data specialists and other experts to be involved in improvement of these technologies, not only distribute global tech.' Second, on organizational adoption: 'The localization aspect enables businesses to use this technology across the whole organization,' which Mohand said required a high level of cultural understanding to engage multiple business owners for full impact. Third, addressing data sovereignty, Mohand said the 'local closed-loop setup protects standard solutions, as hosting the data on-premises or in the local cloud has become the norm. However, this is not enough if local businesses want to ensure full data protection.' Mohand added that the Kingdom was leading in AI through big investments in GPU imports, local data centers and computing power capabilities. However, he warned: 'A bottleneck to enablement will occur if data infrastructure and company management are not aligned.' Governata claims to address this challenge. Mohand said: 'Our mission is to prepare Saudi organizations to leverage all this AI power being created by the country's leadership. 'As we elevate organizational maturity in data management, we elevate local talent,' he added. Mohand said that the platform activated 'thousands of data scientists, software engineers, integration specialists, domain experts and business managers from Saudi Arabia's outstanding talent pool' while developing skills internally.
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia to unveil SR21 billion investment deals at Damascus forum
Saudi Gazette report DAMASCUS — A high-level Saudi delegation led by Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih arrived in Damascus on Wednesday ahead of the Saudi-Syrian Investment Forum, set to take place Thursday, marking a significant step toward restoring economic cooperation between the two countries. The visit, conducted under the directive of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, includes the participation of more than 150 Saudi businessmen and investors. It reflects the Kingdom's growing commitment to supporting Syria's economic recovery through direct engagement and private sector involvement. The Ministry of Investment, in coordination with the Federation of Saudi Chambers, is leading efforts to enable Saudi businesses to participate in reconstruction and development opportunities across Syria. The forum is expected to witness the announcement of investment agreements worth SR21 billion across 11 key sectors. These include real estate, infrastructure, information and communications technology, transportation, industry, tourism, energy, trade and investment, healthcare, human resources, and financial services. According to sources, the deals will include residential and commercial developments in cities such as Damascus and Homs, the construction of cement and gypsum factories to support local industry, and advanced digital infrastructure projects that will help modernize Syria's communications systems and data capabilities. Further agreements will address energy generation, hospital rehabilitation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, vocational training, and the revitalization of Damascus International Airport in line with international standards. In addition, financial sector agreements will focus on enabling fintech collaboration, dual listings, and sustainable investment initiatives. The forum will also serve as a platform for 38 memorandums of understanding to be signed between Saudi and Syrian stakeholders. More than 150 Saudi representatives from both public and private sectors are expected to attend, alongside over 400 participants from Syria. The event is seen as a pivotal moment in reviving bilateral ties and fostering a new era of trust, economic partnership, and joint development. Saudi officials have emphasized that the initiative aligns with the vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to promote regional prosperity through strategic investment and cooperation. The Ministry of Investment said the forum embodies Saudi Arabia's belief in investment as a tool for peace, stability, and mutual growth—contributing to the rebuilding of Syria while reinforcing the Kingdom's role in leading regional development and integration under Vision 2030.
