Naver, Naver Cloud and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) will jointly develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model optimised for the defence sector and a physical AI-based future combat system platform based on domestic proprietary technology, the companies said on Tuesday.

The partnership was set up to bring together leading domestic defence and aerospace companies and an information technology (IT) company to build independent sovereign AI without relying on foreign technology. The three companies plan to first jointly develop a "defence-focused AI foundation model". They aim to minimise security risks and achieve defence technology self-reliance.

A signing ceremony held on July 6 at KAI's headquarters in Sacheon was attended by Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon (최수연), Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won (김유원) and KAI CEO Kim Jong-chul (김종출). The three companies plan to participate in government-led national research and development (R&D) projects and block-funding programmes in the future based on the jointly developed model to strengthen the foundation for public-private-military cooperation.

The technology will be embedded in future aerospace platforms such as the next-generation air combat system (NACS) and the manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) system that KAI is developing. It will be used to raise the level of autonomy. The companies plan to secure core next-generation defence physical AI technologies such as unmanned aircraft platforms and AI pilots in a battlefield environment where manned and unmanned fighter jets and satellites are hyperconnected. They also plan to join forces to build a related ecosystem.

Choi said technological self-reliance in defence and security was directly linked to national sovereignty, making it crucial above all to secure an independent sovereign AI infrastructure. She said the company would do its best to combine Team Naver's advanced AI capabilities with KAI's defence infrastructure to strengthen South Korea's technological sovereignty in defence and security and create new global competitiveness for the future defence industry.

Kim said global competition in defence AI was intensifying and required a joint response that combined core capabilities. He said he was confident that KAI's aerospace and defence expertise, together with Team Naver's AI and cloud technology, would help raise global competitiveness in physical AI-based unmanned aircraft and future combat system fields.