[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] NHN(181710), which grew through “Hangame,” is cultivating its artificial intelligence (AI) graphics processing unit (GPU) business as a new growth engine. Its business structure is also changing rapidly, with revenue from the technology division—which includes the AI GPU business—now surpassing that of the gaming division.

NHN announced on the 11th that it recorded consolidated revenue of 757.9 billion won and operating profit of 57.9 billion won for the second quarter of this year. These figures represent increases of 25.3% and 164.1%, respectively, compared to the same period last year, marking all-time quarterly highs for both revenue and operating profit.

Notably, revenue trends varied significantly by business segment. Revenue in the Technology segment, which includes the AI GPU business, reached 159.8 billion won, a 52.9% increase year-over-year. During the same period, revenue in the Games segment rose 21.5% to 139.6 billion won.

NHN Cloud was the driving force behind the technology business’s rapid growth. The full-scale rollout of NVIDIA B200-based GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) in the Yangpyeong, Seoul region—which began operations at the end of March—was fully reflected in the financial results.

NHN Cloud’s second-quarter revenue increased by 85.3% year-over-year. NHN Tecorus, the company’s Japanese technology subsidiary, also saw revenue rise by 27.0% due to growth in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) resale business.

NHN is channeling the growth of its AI GPU business into large-scale infrastructure investments. The company plans to secure an additional 30 MW of AI data center capacity by the second half of next year. This scale is equivalent to the total data center infrastructure currently operated by NHN Cloud.

It plans to lease 20 MW from external data centers and build the remaining 10 MW in its own data centers. It will also introduce the latest GPUs, such as the NVIDIA B300 or higher, to existing regions.

As the expansion of GPU demand becomes increasingly evident, the company is accelerating its infrastructure investments. In the Yangpyeong region, discussions are underway for new long-term contracts covering the remaining capacity.

The company is also targeting the overseas GPU market. As GPU demand from overseas companies grows, NHN Cloud is in discussions with select customers regarding contracts. In Japan, the company plans to secure data center capacity to expand its services to global customers.

Along with this business expansion, the company is expressing confidence in its profitability. NHN expects the margin rate for its directly operated GPU business to be higher than that of the government-funded GPU projects.

While the technology business is emerging as a new growth driver, the gaming and payment businesses also maintained steady momentum. The payment division, which accounts for the largest share of revenue, recorded 394 billion won in the second quarter, a 27.3% increase year-over-year. NHN KCP’s transaction volume rose 34% during the same period, driven by the influx of new large-scale merchants.

In the gaming sector, revenue from web board games rose 15% over the same period, and revenue from Japanese mobile games also increased by 47%. NHN plans to focus its new game development capabilities on the Japanese market going forward and will unveil major new titles, including “Puchipoyong of the Fantasy World,” at the Tokyo Game Show this September.

During the earnings call held that day, NHN CEO Jung Woojin stated, “Revenue visibility for the GPU business is improving further,” adding, “We expect revenue trends to be more positive than initially anticipated starting next year.”

He continued, “The results of the management efficiency improvements and cost controls we’ve been implementing over the past few years began to reflect in our earnings starting in the fourth quarter of last year, and this year marks the period when the results of our core businesses will truly take off,” adding, “We will treat the second quarter as the starting point of our growth phase and maintain this momentum through the second half of the year.”