According to NeverCloud, the two companies have agreed to provide IT infrastructure based on Intel's A accelerator, Gaudi, to help South Korean startups and universities conduct A research projects and develop various software.

They will also set up a joint research center called Naver Cloud-IntelㆍCo-La (NICL), where Naver Cloud will collaborate with startups and university laboratories, Yonhap news agency reports.

Expected to launch later this year, NICL will include teams from approximately 20 universities and startups, including prestigious institutions such as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Seoul Nation University.

NeverCloud said it also plans to test Intel's Goudy 2 AI accelerator and will work with the US chip giant to develop a commercial cloud system.

It said the partnership with Intel aims to expand an AI ecosystem centering around Naver's AI model, Hyperclova X, using Intel's AI chips.

Its CEO Kim Yoo-won said, "There are not many companies around the world that are developing and operating a large language model like NeverCloud."