The Naver Cloud division of South Korean tech giant Naver lately announced to have entered into a strategic partnership with Intel to advance artificial intelligence (AI) chip innovation in the country.

It is learned that the collaboration is mainly focused in establishing an AI chip software ecosystem in Korea by leveraging Gaudi, which is Intel’s AI accelerator. Naver Cloud will be providing IT infrastructure based on Gaudi to support AI research projects as well as software development endeavors by Korean startups and universities.

It is worth noting that the partnership involves creation of a joint research center named Naver CloudㆍIntelㆍCo-Lab (NICL) and it will serve as a collaborative space where Naver Cloud will work closely with the startups in the country as well as the universities to drive innovation in AI technology.

The center is scheduled to be launched in 2025 and it will engage teams from approximately 20 universities and startups including the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Seoul National University.

Moreover, the Naver Cloud has plans of conducting trials of Intel’s Gaudi 2 AI accelerator and it will be collaborated with Intel to develop a commercial cloud platform that will be especially tailored to AI applications.

Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won emphasized the uniqueness of Naver’s AI model and HyperClova X. He highlighted the company’s pioneering efforts in the development and operation of large language models. He simultaneously highlighted the commitment of Naver to strengthen diversity in the tech landscape by offering alternative solutions in markets.

Kim further stated that the partnership represents a strategic move to expand the AI ecosystem and also to leverage Naver’s expertise in AI.