Naver Cloud has established a dedicated organization for its defense artificial intelligence (AI) business. CEO Kim Yoo-won will lead the Defense AX (AI Transformation) task force, overseeing the project aimed at developing AI models, business development, and integrating field engineering teams to make a significant entry into the defense-focused AI market.
At first glance, this appears to be an expansion of a civilian IT company's business. However, the implications are much larger, signaling that South Korea's AI industry is moving beyond search, advertising, and e-commerce into the realm of national security.
For a long time, we have understood defense in terms of tanks, fighter jets, and missiles. However, the wars in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East reveal a different reality. The outcome of modern warfare is determined not by the quantity of weapons but by the ability to gather more data, analyze it faster, and make more accurate decisions.
In this context, AI is no longer just a supplementary tool; it has become the eyes and brain of the battlefield.
The American AI company Palantir exemplifies this transformation. Palantir does not produce tanks or fighter jets; instead, it analyzes vast amounts of data to assist military and intelligence agencies in making strategic decisions. Today, Palantir has established itself as a key partner for the U.S. Department of Defense and intelligence agencies, recognized as a leading example of an AI security company.
The market and industry are paying close attention to Naver's recent move for this reason. There is growing anticipation about the emergence of AI-based security platform companies in South Korea.
Particularly in the defense sector, the nature of military information and national security data poses significant risks when there is high external dependency. In the era of generative AI, data equates to sovereignty. More critical than which AI model is used is who owns, controls, and trains the data.
In this regard, Naver's initiative to advance its defense AI business based on its proprietary super-large AI model, HyperCLOVA X, along with its cloud infrastructure and data centers, is significant. The concept of 'Sovereign AI' that many countries are emphasizing aligns with this notion, advocating for nations to secure AI capabilities that they can control rather than merely importing technology.
While national competitiveness during the industrial revolution was determined by steel, shipbuilding, and automobile production capabilities, in the AI era, it will be defined by semiconductors, data, and algorithms. There is a pressing need for nations to possess AI that interprets the battlefield, even if they do not manufacture weapons directly. AI is no longer merely an industrial policy issue; it is a matter of security policy and national strategy.
However, Naver's challenge does not guarantee immediate success. Defense AI requires a level of reliability, security, and field applicability that far exceeds that of typical commercial services. Developing solutions tailored to actual military environments and accumulating long-term operational experience is essential. Palantir, too, did not emerge overnight; it grew through extensive collaboration with government, military, and industry over many years.
Moreover, defense AI cannot be realized through the efforts of a single company alone. A vast ecosystem involving semiconductors, cloud computing, telecommunications, robotics, drones, satellites, and cybersecurity must be interconnected. For Naver's challenge to succeed, long-term cooperation among government, military, and private industry is crucial.
Nonetheless, the significance of this attempt is clear.
South Korea's AI industry is now expanding beyond search engines into the realm of security. This transformation is not merely a new business venture; it may represent a new pillar of national competitiveness.
We are entering an era where AI will not only change the economy and industries but also become a core infrastructure of national security. Naver's foray into defense AI symbolizes this change.
The question we need to ask now is not whether Naver will engage in defense business.
It is a more fundamental question.
In the 21st century, will the victor in war be the nation with more weapons or the one with superior AI?
* This article has been translated by AI.
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