Key facts
- Naver Cloud will lead a government project to develop a specialized AI foundation model for cybersecurity.
- The Ministry of Science and ICT selected Naver Cloud's consortium over a rival bid from SK Telecom.
- The consortium includes 32 companies and institutions, such as LG CNS and LG Uplus.
- The government will provide up to 256 Nvidia B200 GPUs to support the project over 10 months.
- The goal is to create a sovereign AI model to address growing cyber risks in South Korea.
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- Naver Cloud Corp. has been chosen by South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT to lead a government initiative focused on developing an artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model specifically for cybersecurity.
The portal operator Naver's cloud and AI division secured the project over a competing bid from SK Telecom Co. The ministry cited Naver Cloud's strong industry-academia-research partnerships, technological capabilities, and development strategy as key factors in its selection.
The Naver Cloud-led consortium is comprised of 32 companies and institutions, including prominent names like LG CNS Co. and LG Uplus Corp., alongside major domestic universities and research organizations. This collaborative effort aims to build a "sovereign" cybersecurity AI model.
To facilitate the development, the government plans to supply the consortium with up to 256 Nvidia B200 graphics processing units (GPUs) over the next ten months. A contract is expected to be signed later this month, marking the commencement of full-scale development.
The project is a strategic response to the escalating cyber risks associated with rapidly advancing AI technologies, seeking to create a model tailored to South Korea's unique security landscape.