According to industry sources, Naver has proactively secured data and ecosystems, which are critical components of Physical AI. Naver's D2SF currently allocates over 10% of its portfolio to companies related to Physical AI, investing across the entire value chain from perception to action, including vision sensors, behavioral data, industrial AI, and robot control.
Physical AI refers to technologies that enable robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles to perceive their surroundings, make judgments, and take actions. While generative AI learns from text and image data on the internet, Physical AI requires learning from real-world data, such as human movements, actions, and spatial information.
Naver's strength lies in its data. As the operator of search, shopping, maps, and blogs, it has amassed the largest user data in South Korea. Insights into user interests, consumption patterns, mobility information, and content usage behaviors are seen as valuable assets for future AI applications that aim to understand and predict human behavior.
Naver D2SF's investment portfolio aligns with this strategy. 'Summer Robotics' is developing next-generation vision sensors that serve as the eyes of robots, a key technology needed for Physical AI to quickly recognize its environment. 'Movin' has developed the world's first LiDAR-based markerless 3D motion capture technology, which excels in acquiring human motion data necessary for Physical AI learning.
'Machina Labs' is creating an enterprise AI operating system that supports decision-making in industries such as automotive, semiconductors, and defense. 'Clobot' provides software for integrated control and operation of different types of robots. Industry experts evaluate that Naver is securing a technological ecosystem across all areas of Physical AI, including perception, cognition, action, and control.
Recently, Naver also invested in 'UbiFly,' a drone company developing AI-based autonomous flight technology. UbiFly raised 60 billion won earlier this year from investors including Kreet Ventures and NXC, marking the largest single investment in a domestic drone startup. Drones are considered a representative application of Physical AI, linking to Naver's expansion strategy in defense and logistics.
Naver is also recognized as a key player in the Sovereign AI sector. It is a leading full-stack AI provider in South Korea, possessing its own large language model (LLM), cloud services, and data centers. Recently, it has been pursuing the establishment of LLMs based on local languages and Sovereign AI projects in overseas markets, including Saudi Arabia.
An industry insider stated, "In the era of generative AI, internet data was crucial, but in the Physical AI era, human behavioral data will become the key asset. Naver is positioned to be a central player in domestic Physical AI, as it secures not only AI models and infrastructure but also data and a startup ecosystem."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.