Naver executives hold series of meetings with Mexican government, firms

CDO Kim Kwang-hyun presents at Korea-Mexico Business Forum

Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon (left) speaks with Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Friday (local time). [Naver]
Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon (left) speaks with Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Friday (local time). [Naver]

Naver has launched a push to expand AI business cooperation with the Mexican government and local companies, positioning its public AI transformation, sovereign AI strategy, and data center and digital twin capabilities as tools to help build Mexico's AI ecosystem.

Naver said Tuesday that during President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to the United States and Mexico, its executives met with Mexican government officials and major IT company representatives to explore expanded AI-focused business cooperation.

Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, Chief Financial Officer Kim Hee-chul and Chief Data Officer Kim Kwang-hyun traveled to Mexico as part of the presidential economic delegation, spending two days there beginning Thursday (local time).

The executives held a series of meetings with Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation Minister Rosaura Ruiz Gutierrez, the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications, and the CEO of Softtek Mexico.

Choi briefed Mexican government officials on Naver's public AI transformation capabilities, its sovereign AI strategy, and the AI factory project it is developing together with Nvidia and Brookfield. She also proposed cooperation on Mexico's public-sector AI transformation and AI integration.

Economy Minister Ebrard said the Mexican government has been expanding its engagement with global AI companies, including Nvidia, as part of efforts to develop the country's domestic AI industry, and went on to say he hopes Naver will contribute to building Mexico's AI ecosystem and driving its digital innovation.

Choi also met with Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation Minister Ruiz Gutierrez, and the two sides discussed potential cooperation on a national-scale high-performance computing and AI cluster project under way in Mexico.

Naver also used the economic delegation visit as an opportunity to explore cooperation with the state of Querétaro, which accounts for more than 70 percent of Mexico's data center infrastructure. The two sides are currently discussing specific plans for a pilot project to build digital twins covering two major cities in the state.

CDO Kim Kwang-hyun also delivered a session presentation to leading business figures from both countries at the Korea-Mexico Business Forum held Friday (local time).

Kim said AI ecosystems that reflect each country's own language, data and industrial characteristics are essential, and set out a goal of connecting South Korea's AI capabilities — including Naver's — to support Mexico's AI transformation and strengthen its industrial competitiveness as a leading manufacturing hub in North and Central America.

This marks the first time Naver executives have visited Mexico to meet with key government and business figures in person. Earlier, in August, CEO Choi met with the leadership of Brazilian AI infrastructure firms Scala Data Centers and Tecto Data Centers, as well as the management of Entel, Chile's largest telecommunications company, to discuss cooperation.


chami@heraldcorp.com