Seoul, April 11 (IANS) – Naver Cloud, the cloud computing arm of South Korea’s tech giant Naver, announced its collaboration with US chipmaker Intel to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) chip software ecosystem. The partnership aims to support South Korean startups and universities in conducting AI research and developing software.
According to Naver Cloud, the two companies have agreed to provide IT infrastructure using Intel’s AI accelerator, Gaudi. They plan to create a joint research center called Naver Cloud-IntelㆍCo-Lab (NICL), where collaborations with startups and university labs will take place, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Expected to be operational later this year, NICL will involve teams from around 20 universities and startups, including renowned institutions like the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Seoul National University. Naver Cloud also intends to test Intel’s Gaudi 2 AI accelerator and assist in the development of a commercial cloud system in partnership with the US chip giant.
The partnership’s ultimate goal is to expand an AI ecosystem centered around Naver’s AI model, HyperClova X, utilizing Intel’s AI chips. Naver Cloud’s CEO Kim Yu-won emphasized the significance of their AI model, stating, “There aren’t many companies worldwide that have developed and are operating a large language model from scratch like Naver Cloud.”
This collaboration between Naver Cloud and Intel signifies a significant step towards enhancing AI research and development capabilities in South Korea, with the establishment of NICL and the utilization of Intel’s cutting-edge technology for advancing AI initiatives.
