Naver explores AI partnerships in Mexico
South Korea’s platform giant Naver Corp. explored ways to expand artificial intelligence (AI)-focused business cooperation with the Mexican government and major information technology (IT) companies during President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to the United States and Mexico.
According to Naver on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Choi Soo-yeon, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kim Hee-cheol, and Chief Data Officer (CDO) Kim Kwang-hyun visited Mexico for two days starting September 24, as members of the presidential economic delegation.
Naver executives held a series of meetings with Marcelo Ebrard Casaub?n, Mexico’s economy minister, Rosaura Ruiz Guti?rrez, minister of science, humanities, technology and innovation, as well as officials from the Agency of Digital Transformation and Telecommunications and the CEO of Softtek Mexico, among others.
It marked the first time Naver executives had visited Mexico to explore the local market.
Choi introduced Naver’s capabilities in AI transformation (AX) for the public sector, its sovereign AI strategy, and its AI factory project being developed with Nvidia Corp. and Brookfield Corp., while proposing cooperation with Mexico.
She also discussed potential cooperation related to Mexico’s ongoing efforts to build a nationwide high-performance computing and AI cluster in her meeting with Guti?rrez.
Casaub?n said Mexico was expanding engagement with global AI companies and actively promoting the development of its AI industry, expressing hope that Naver could contribute to building Mexico’s AI ecosystem and advancing its digital transformation.
Naver is also seeking projects in cooperation with the state of Quer?taro, where more than 70 percent of Mexico’s data center infrastructure is concentrated.
The two sides are currently discussing specific implementation plans for a pilot project to build digital twins for major cities in Quer?taro.
CDO Kim delivered a presentation at the Korea-Mexico Business Forum held on Friday, local time, in which he emphasized the importance of building an AI ecosystem that reflects each country’s language, data and industrial characteristics.
He also presented a vision of sharing the experience and technologies of Naver and other Korean companies to help Mexico, a manufacturing powerhouse in North and Central America, further strengthen its industrial competitiveness through AX.