[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] “Nekao” (Naver + Kakao), which has dominated the domestic platform market in the mobile era, is now heading toward different strategic focuses as the AI era dawns. The two companies, which previously competed in the same market by leveraging search, advertising, e-commerce, and messaging, are now seeking growth drivers in distinct areas: AI infrastructure and lifestyle AI services.

Naver (NAVER(035420)) is expanding its reach as an AI infrastructure provider that attracts global capital and technology to supply computing resources to businesses and governments. Kakao(035720)is focusing on a service strategy that integrates global AI technology and its own models into KakaoTalk, which has 50 million users.

This contrast is clearly illustrated by Naver’s receipt of a $1 billion (approximately 1.46 trillion won) equity investment from NVIDIA on the 27th and its entry into negotiations with Brookfield for infrastructure procurement worth up to $9 billion (approximately 13 trillion won). As the tech giants reshaping the global AI ecosystem have selected Naver as their key partner, there is a growing sense that Naver’s global brand value and unique position are also being reevaluated.

From Data Centers to Commercial Services… Naver’s Strength Lies in “Immediate Execution”

An AI factory is not simply built by purchasing large quantities of GPUs and installing them in a data center. It requires massive power and cooling infrastructure, ultra-high-speed networks, the software and expertise to stably operate GPU clusters, and customers to keep the equipment running after deployment.

Naver has directly operated its own data centers—“Gak Chuncheon” and “Gak Sejong”—as well as GPU clusters, cloud platforms, and large-scale commercial services such as ultra-large AI models and search. The fact that it does not stop at the simple business planning stage but can immediately deploy its existing infrastructure into services is seen as the reason behind the choice of NVIDIA, the world’s leading AI semiconductor company, and Brookfield, a global alternative investment firm with over $1 trillion in assets under management.

The fact that NVIDIA went beyond a mere GPU supply agreement to acquire Naver shares is also a mechanism to bind the two companies’ interests in the long term. Once the “AI Compute Partnership” currently under discussion between Naver Cloud and NVIDIA is finalized, the two companies will jointly acquire customers, generate revenue, and share both the rewards and risks. This structure positions NVIDIA as a GPU supplier, shareholder, and joint business partner.

Brookfield manages not only capital but also the physical assets necessary for AI infrastructure, such as data centers, power, and renewable energy. The fact that Naver granted Brookfield exclusive rights of first refusal among multiple potential investors is interpreted as a decision that went beyond a simple lending relationship and took into account Brookfield’s ability to procure infrastructure.

A Naver official explained, “There were quite a few parties interested in investing in the AI Factory project, and Brookfield was selected as our negotiating partner after reviewing several candidates.”

Going Beyond GPU Rental to Supply Data and Models

The AI Factory envisioned by Naver differs from a rental business that merely leases GPU usage time or server space. It is a full-package service that includes converting corporate data into a format usable by AI, as well as selecting, combining, and optimizing large language models (LLMs) tailored to specific purposes.

This is why Naver—the third company in the world to secure the capability to independently develop a super-large language model—plans to utilize NVIDIA’s Nemotron open model and Agent AI and physical AI technologies alongside its own HyperClova X model. The company intends to combine its proprietary model with external technologies based on the customer’s language, industry, and performance and cost requirements, thereby securing revenue streams that include not only GPU usage fees but also data conversion, model optimization, and fees for using its proprietary model.

Naver plans to begin generating revenue by launching a 55MW AI Factory in its data centers in the first half of 2027, expanding to 200MW in 2028 and eventually reaching 1GW in the long term. The company is targeting demand for sovereign AI in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East.

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, “We will swiftly finalize the recruitment of AI Factory clients and use this as a turning point to leap forward as a global AI infrastructure company.”

Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of Naver’s Board of Directors, also emphasized, “We have reached a pivotal moment to expand the data center operation technologies and know-how we have accumulated over the years onto the global stage,” adding, “We will collaborate with companies worldwide to realize an AI ecosystem where the diversity of nations and communities is respected.”

Integrating

Global Big Tech AI into KakaoTalk… Focus on Service Collaboration

Kakao is also expanding its AI collaboration with global big tech companies. After becoming the first Korean company to form a strategic partnership with OpenAI in February of last year, it launched “ChatGPT for Kakao” and a ChatGPT chatbot for KakaoTalk chat rooms.

With Google, it is developing Android XR-based AI glasses and mobile AI experiences. It is optimizing “Kanana in KakaoTalk” for Android devices and has applied Google’s AI-generated content identification technology, “SynthID,” to its proprietary model, Kanana. In 2024, it became the first Korean company to join the global open-source community “AI Alliance.”

Although both companies have partnered with global Big Tech firms, the nature of their collaborations and monetization strategies differ. Naver aims to sell AI infrastructure by bringing NVIDIA on board as a shareholder and leveraging Brookfield’s capital, power, and data centers. Kakao, on the other hand, integrates OpenAI and Google’s technologies into KakaoTalk and its mobile services to increase usage, which it then converts into revenue for its existing businesses, such as advertising, e-commerce, and search.

An IT industry insider stated, “For Naver, the finalization of its financial agreement with Brookfield, the number of AI Factory clients, GPU utilization rates, and revenue scale will serve as key indicators of business viability,” adding, “Kakao must demonstrate the results of its service-centric strategy through the number of users utilizing AI features, usage frequency, and the effectiveness of integrating these features with advertising and commerce within KakaoTalk.”