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Naver Cloud Executive Director Yoo Kyung-beom speaks at a seminar on strategies for advancing defense AI transformation (AX) based on sovereign AI. / Naver Cloud

Naver Cloud is speeding up its entry into the defense AI market. The company plans to establish a defense AI system applicable to real combat environments by combining sovereign AI with omnimodal AI for integrated battlefield data analysis, dedicated data centers, and a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) organization.

On June 11, Naver Cloud announced that it had hosted the “Sovereign AI‑based Defense AX Development Strategy Seminar” the previous day at the Daejeon Convention Center (DCC) during the Korea Defense Industry Development Expo. The seminar introduced next‑generation battlefield operation systems using AI and defense‑specialized AI implementation strategies to defense, defense industry, and ICT stakeholders.

At the event, Executive Director Yoo Kyung‑beom presented on “Completing Defense AX with Sovereign AI,” highlighting Naver Cloud’s full‑stack sovereign AI capabilities spanning data centers, cloud infrastructure, AI models, and services. He emphasized “HyperCLOVA X Omnimodal,” which integrates text, voice, video, and maps into unified situational analysis, as a core technology for defense AI.

Yoo explained, “AI can comprehensively understand diverse battlefield data and convert it into information that supports commanders’ decisions. With world‑model technology predicting possible changes in battlefield environments, we can enhance situational awareness and operational judgment.”

Naver Cloud also unveiled plans for defense‑specific AI infrastructure. It proposed a central data center to train integrated datasets from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Joint Chiefs of Staff, alongside edge data centers at frontline units, naval vessels, and mobile command posts to provide AI services even in limited communication environments. The company highlighted its FDE system, deploying engineers directly to the field to rapidly validate and improve AI models for real operational use.

Executive Director Jung Nak‑soo stressed the importance of build‑type cloud systems and ontology‑based knowledge frameworks. He said, “We must connect dispersed data across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, transforming it into knowledge systems that understand meaning and context, enabling AI‑based military decision support.”

He also introduced U.S. JADC2 (Joint All‑Domain Command and Control), AI‑based target selection systems, and recent overseas military AI applications, noting that defense AI is becoming a core element of future command and control systems. Jung emphasized, “To block external leaks of military secrets and operational data while leveraging cutting‑edge AI performance, a build‑type cloud‑based sovereign AI system is essential.”

Naver Cloud plans to expand its defense‑specialized vertical AI business, leveraging its full‑stack capabilities across data centers, cloud, AI models, and services.

A Naver Cloud representative stated, “Based on sovereign AI and defense‑specialized vertical AI, we will move beyond AI development to build an ecosystem that can be applied directly to operational environments.”

                                                                                                             Lee Seo‑yeon