[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Naver (NAVER(035420)) is set to target the global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure market, backed by a strategic investment from NVIDIA and infrastructure funding from Brookfield. By simultaneously securing a stable supply of graphics processing units (GPUs)—the core of its AI Factory business—and establishing a foundation for data centers, the company appears to be making a bold move in the competition for technological supremacy.

Naver announced on the 27th that it has secured a $1 billion strategic investment from NVIDIA through a third-party private placement and has selected Brookfield, a global alternative investment firm, as the exclusive preferred negotiating partner to secure $9 billion worth of GPU infrastructure and data centers.

The total value of these agreements amounts to $10 billion. Naver explained that this will enable it to secure the foundation for GPU supply and infrastructure procurement, which are prerequisites for its AI Factory business.

NVIDIA’s investment is a follow-up to the agreement announced by both companies last June to build a gigawatt (GW)-scale, ultra-large global AI Factory.

This marks Naver’s first third-party private placement in 22 years and its first since its listing on the KOSPI in 2008. NVIDIA will invest $1 billion to acquire 7,241,564 shares of Naver common stock, representing a 4.5% stake. The payment deadline is October 30. Naver views this investment as a sign that the two companies have established a strategic partnership to ensure the success of the AI Factory project.

Naver is also pursuing a collaboration with Brookfield. Through a preliminary agreement with Brookfield—a global alternative investment firm managing over $1 trillion—Naver plans to secure a stable supply of the latest GPUs and data centers necessary to operate an AI Factory with a capacity of several hundred MW. Brookfield is a company that has been investing in AI infrastructure sectors such as data centers and renewable energy. Naver expects that through this collaboration, it will be able to proactively secure large-scale computing infrastructure even amid the global GPU supply shortage.

Naver Cloud is also in discussions with NVIDIA regarding an “AI Compute Partnership” agreement to jointly advance the global AI Factory business. Beyond a technical partnership, a comprehensive partnership that includes demand and capital is being considered, under which NVIDIA would participate as a joint business partner with Naver Cloud.

Naver cited its full-stack AI capabilities as the reason behind NVIDIA’s decision to invest directly. Naver is an operator that has directly managed all aspects of the AI Factory, from data centers and GPU clusters to AI platforms, proprietary models, and services. Since commercializing NVIDIA’s supercomputing infrastructure in 2019, the company has accumulated experience in data center operations and core technologies such as cooling, power, and networking.

In addition to its own data centers, Naver has secured and operates GPU floor space at approximately 20 locations nationwide. By establishing a standardized server system, the company aims to reduce the time from resource acquisition to service launch to within one month.

The company also highlighted its extensive experience in large-scale GPU operations. Naver explained that it operates a cluster of approximately 100,000 GPUs—the largest in South Korea—and has established systems for resource management, automated recovery, and monitoring. Based on this infrastructure, the company plans to provide enterprise services and GPUaaS to target the demand for sovereign AI infrastructure.

Based on this global partnership, Naver plans to begin generating revenue from its AI Factory business starting in 2027. It will begin operations of a 55 MW global AI Factory in the first half of 2027 and expand to 200 MW by 2028. The company envisions rapidly scaling up to 1 GW to meet the demand for sovereign AI infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific, European, and Middle Eastern markets.

Measures to enhance shareholder value are also being implemented. Naver announced that its board of directors decided on the 24th to cancel 4.9 million shares of treasury stock, valued at approximately 1 trillion won, on August 3.

Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, stated, “The investment from NVIDIA and Brookfield will serve as a crucial turning point for Naver’s future growth,” adding, “It is very encouraging that this investment will provide an opportunity for us to rapidly enter the global AI infrastructure market through Naver’s technology and infrastructure.” She continued, “We will also swiftly finalize the recruitment of AI Factory clients and use this as a turning point for Naver to emerge as a leading company in the global AI infrastructure sector.”

On the 24th (local time), Naver signed a strategic investment agreement at NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, with Chairman Lee Hae-jin, CEO Choi Soo-yeon, and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang in attendance. Chairman Lee also attended the government-sponsored “San Francisco K-AI” summit held in San Francisco on the same day.

Chairman Lee stated, “By securing investment from NVIDIA and Brookfield, Naver has seized an opportunity to scale up the data center operation technologies and know-how we have accumulated over the years onto the global stage,” adding, “We will actively collaborate with companies around the world to realize an AI ecosystem that respects the diversity of nations and communities.”