South Korean internet search company Naver has recently introduced its cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence tool, HyperCLOVA X. This innovation includes a range of services, featuring an AI chatbot reminiscent of ChatGPT, named CLOVA X, and a generative AI-driven search engine named Cue, which can be likened to Microsoft Bing.
Naver’s cloud division, Naver Cloud, is the driving force behind the launch of HyperCLOVA X. The beta service for CLOVA X commenced in both English and Korean on August 24. Subsequently, Cue, set to undergo beta testing in September, will be seamlessly integrated into Naver’s existing search engine by November.
HyperCLOVA X, tailored for creators and enterprise customers, represents an advancement over its precursor, the Korean language’s HyperCLOVA, which was introduced in 2021. According to Naver, HyperCLOVA boasts an impressive 204 billion parameters, while the exact count for the trained parameters in HyperCLOVA X remains undisclosed. Naver requires users to have Naver accounts to access HyperCLOVA X.
With a team of over 500 AI experts, Naver stands as one of the select five global companies that have successfully developed their own large language model, boasting over 100 billion parameters. Naver’s CEO, SooYeon Choi, conveyed this achievement in a recent letter to shareholders.
Naver Cloud is actively engaged in the development of multimodal language models for CLOVA X. These models are designed to analyze and generate diverse forms of content, including text, images, videos, and audio. Nako Sung, Head of Technology and Hyperscale AI at Naver Cloud, shared this insight during the company’s conference. Naver’s aspiration is to soon launch the Clova X multimodal language model.
This generative AI advancement by Naver arrives amidst a global landscape where tech giants are striving to enhance their own generative AI products. Industry titan OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has ignited competition in this space. Google has introduced its AI chatbot Bard and invested in Anthropic, while Baidu has unveiled Ernie Bot. Additionally, companies like Meta and Amazon are reportedly gearing up to introduce their AI-powered chatbots.
Naver has strategically aimed its generative AI efforts at regions that remain untapped by global competitors, including South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Looking forward, Naver has plans to inaugurate its second data center, GAK Sejong, equipped with 600,000 servers in South Korea. This move is geared towards supporting its generative AI services and is slated for November, as highlighted by Choi during the conference. Naver has also been collaborating with Samsung since December on the development of AI chips for hyperscale AI
