Naver plans to set up Middle East unit in Saudi Arabia in 2024

South Korea-based Naver Corp. plans to establish a Middle Eastern subsidiary in Saudi Arabia this year to expand its global operations. 

The new unit, Naver Arabia, will be responsible for Naver's business in the Middle East, Yonhap News Agency reported. 

Naver intends to form joint ventures with local entities to undertake various projects in Saudi Arabia, including creating a digital twin platform in five Saudi cities and developing an Arabic-based large language model. 

According to data available with Argaam, Naver and Saudi Public Transport Co. (SAPTCO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a smart transportation system in Saudi Arabia, aiming to construct a high-resolution map and simulate real-time traffic conditions based on digital twin technology using advanced techniques such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).