Naver engages with more than 12 AI data center customers across North America and beyond
South Korean search engine giant Naver is courting over 12 AI data center customers across North America and other regions as it builds a massive new facility.
The initiative is spearheaded by Naver Cloud, the company’s cloud computing arm, which positions itself as a regional competitor to US hyperscale providers. Naver calls the project an "AI factory" designed to rent out GPU computing power to outside companies and governments, with many clients sharing the same infrastructure.
The anchor site is GAK Sejong, Naver’s hyperscale data center in South Korea. The facility is set to start with 55 MW of capacity in the first half of 2027, with a roadmap to scale up to 200 MW and eventually reach 1 GW as part of a phased overseas expansion strategy.
Nvidia finalized a $1 billion strategic equity investment in the project. The hardware will come from Nvidia’s next-generation DSX platforms, along with chips such as Blackwell and Vera Rubin. Naver already operates GPU clusters, including 4,000 Nvidia B200 GPUs as of 2026, and runs cloud regions in South Korea, Japan, Germany, Singapore and the US West Coast.
Sovereign AI focus
Naver’s stated target market has been enterprise and government clients in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The focus is on sovereign and private AI workloads, responding to significant demand for AI data center capacity inside South Korea.
Naver Cloud is building this factory to offer a viable alternative to the global cloud computing market, which is collectively dominated by US hyperscale providers.
Capital-intensive bet
The most important word in Naver’s update is "engages." Talking with more than a dozen potential customers is not the same as signing a dozen contracts. That distinction matters because the AI factory is a capital-heavy bet.
Financing of up to $9 billion and a $1 billion equity stake from Nvidia create expectations. The facility needs paying tenants to justify that spending, and conversations need to turn into commitments before the 55 MW phase comes online in 2027.
The next milestones to watch are straightforward. Watch for announcements converting these engagements into signed customers, any updates on the GAK Sejong construction schedule, and details on where the phased overseas expansion lands first.
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