Naver Plans $690 Million GPU Investment Starting 2026 to Boost AI Infrastructure
- ByStartupStory | November 5, 2025
Naver Plans $690 Million GPU Investment Starting 2026 to Boost AI Infrastructure
South Korean internet giant Naver has unveiled plans to invest over 1 trillion won (approximately $690 million) starting in 2026 to secure a large volume of graphics processing units (GPUs) and expand AI infrastructure, particularly focused on physical AI applications. This major capital expenditure is aligned with Naver’s strategy to accelerate its AI business by expanding capabilities in real-world industrial and commercial environments.
During Naver’s Q3 2025 earnings call, CFO Kim Hee-cheol emphasized the company’s gradual scale-up in capital spending reflecting the increased impact of AI services. The GPU investment includes a significant purchase agreement with Nvidia to acquire 60,000 Blackwell AI chips, the highest allocation among several major Korean tech partnerships that total around 260,000 GPUs.
Naver’s ambition extends to developing GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offerings, enabling enterprise customers to access high-performance AI compute resources transparently. This will support use cases spanning autonomous operations, intelligent manufacturing, and advanced analytics across multiple industries.
This GPU capacity build-out is part of a broader national effort, with South Korea investing heavily in sovereign AI infrastructure to secure its position as a global AI leader. Partnerships with Nvidia, Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and others are key components in constructing a physical AI ecosystem combining advanced hardware and software capabilities.
In summary, Naver’s $690 million GPU investment starting in 2026 signals an aggressive push into AI infrastructure, focusing on physical AI and enterprise services that will drive its leadership in AI innovation and industrial applications in South Korea and beyond.
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