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Naver has partnered with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to jointly develop a foundation model optimized for the defense sector. The plan is to build a comprehensive cooperation framework spanning from technology development to commercialization.
Naver announced on the 7th that on the 6th of this month, at KAI's headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Team Naver and KAI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop defense-specialized artificial intelligence (AI) models and pursue a physical AI-based future combat system platform. Attending the ceremony were Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won, and KAI President and CEO Kim Jong-chul.
The three companies — Naver, Naver Cloud, and KAI — will first pursue the joint development of a "defense-specialized AI foundation model" optimized for the defense sector. Building on this, they plan to jointly participate in government-led national research and development projects and block funding programs to secure next-generation defense physical AI core technologies, and to lay the groundwork for public-private-military cooperation that can lead to substantive follow-on commercialization.
In particular, the three companies expect this partnership to play a key role in accelerating the development of physical AI, such as unmanned aerial vehicle platforms and AI pilots, in future battlefield environments where manned and unmanned fighter jets and satellites are hyper-connected, as in KAI's next-generation air combat system (NACS) currently under development.
They also plan to embed AI into future aerospace platforms such as manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) to advance autonomy levels, and to expand AI cooperation frameworks with aviation and defense sector partners to help build the domestic AI ecosystem and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon said, "Since technological self-reliance in the defense and security fields is directly tied to national sovereignty, securing independent sovereign AI infrastructure is more important than anything else. We will do our best to solidify Korea's technological sovereignty in defense and security by combining Team Naver's advanced AI capabilities with KAI's defense infrastructure, and to create new global competitiveness for the future defense industry."
KAI President and CEO Kim Jong-chul emphasized, "As global competition in defense AI grows fiercer than ever, a joint response combining the core capabilities of the three companies is needed. I am confident that KAI's aviation and defense expertise, combined with Team Naver's AI and cloud technology, will enable Korea to establish sovereignty over defense AI technology and enhance global competitiveness in physical AI-based unmanned aerial vehicles and future combat systems."
