Naver plans to establish a Middle East regional headquarters (tentatively NAVER Arabia) in Saudi Arabia within this year. To achieve this, Naver will participate in the RHQ (Regional HQ) program that Saudi Arabia offers to global companies. The company plans to collaborate on large-scale national projects in advanced technology fields and explore various business opportunities.
In addition, Naver will also pursue joint venture establishments with individual business units in Saudi Arabia. This involves forming JVs with partners such as the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMAH) and the National Housing Company (NHC) in projects like building the Saudi digital twin platform.
With the recent initiation of cooperation in building the ‘Soboren AI’ in Saudi Arabia, following the digital twin project, expectations are high that Naver’s technology-based B2B business will further expand its global reach in the Middle East. Naver expressed its intention to broaden cooperation with the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in various technology fields including AI, cloud, data centers, and robotics during the GAIN 2024 event held on December 12.
According to industry sources, Cha Sun-joo, head of external and ESG policies at Naver, is a strong candidate to lead the Middle East regional headquarters from the early stages and oversee business operations in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that she will handle both the domestic external and ESG business and take on responsibilities in the Middle East business sector.