Choi Soo-yeon, the CEO of NAVER, expressed her commitment to enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) business within the year during a earnings call at 9 a.m. on the 9th. In particular, she stated that AI technology would be applied to the commerce sector while increasing the profitability of business-to-business (B2B) through HyperCLOVA X and GPU services.
Choi noted, "A paid cloud usage contract equipped with AI HyperCLOVA X has been signed with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, following one with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corporation," adding, "Revenue generation is expected to begin in the second quarter."
Choi mentioned, "As more corporations enhance and utilize AI technology, the demand for services that can stably leverage GPUs in a cloud environment without building separate infrastructure is expected to increase."
She added, "Recent downward adjustments in economic indicators suggest that overall advertising and commerce markets may also continue to weaken," stating, "NAVER will strive to exceed market growth by strengthening the competitiveness of its AI-based service platform and business capabilities while coexisting with various stakeholders."
NAVER announced on the 9th that it recorded first-quarter revenue of 2.78 trillion won and operating profit of 505.3 billion won. Revenue and operating profit increased by 10.3% and 15.0%, respectively, while the operating profit margin was recorded at 18.1%.