Nvidia invests $1 billion in NAVER to expand South Korea AI datacenter capacity
Nvidia Corp invests $1 billion in NAVER Corp via share issuance to expand the GAK Sejong AI datacenter to 200 megawatts by 2028. Nvidia will supply GPUs for the facility, with Brookfield Asset Management proposing up to $9 billion in additional funding. The deal follows previous partnerships with SK Hynix and SK Telecom, strengthening Nvidia's AI ecosystem in South Korea.

*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.
Nvidia Corp has agreed to invest approximately $1 billion in NAVER Corp, marking a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence footprint in South Korea. Announced on Saturday during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to the AI Summit in San Francisco, the deal aims to scale up local AI computing capacity. The investment will see Nvidia acquire 7.2 million newly issued shares of NAVER at 204,500 KRW ($139.45) per share, representing a roughly 1% discount to NAVER’s Friday closing price.
The capital injection is primarily directed toward expanding NAVER’s GAK Sejong AI datacenter. The facility’s capacity is set to grow from 55 megawatts to 200 megawatts by 2028. In a regulatory filing on Monday, NAVER clarified the partnership structure, noting that Nvidia will participate as a supplier of GPUs rather than as an equity partner sharing revenue and business risks. This structural adjustment defines Nvidia’s role strictly within the hardware supply chain for the expanded infrastructure.
Brookfield Asset Management Ltd is also involved in the broader infrastructure push, proposing up to $9 billion to fund the AI infrastructure development. This substantial financial backing underscores the scale of the upcoming deployment. The expanded facility is expected to deploy next-generation Vera Rubin and Blackwell systems, providing production-scale AI computing capacity for enterprises, startups, and government organizations across the region.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Investment Amount | $1 billion |
| Shares Issued | 7.2 million |
| Share Price | 204,500 KRW ($139.45) |
| Datacenter Capacity (Current) | 55 megawatts |
| Datacenter Capacity (Target) | 200 megawatts |
| Target Year | 2028 |
| Additional Funding Proposed | Up to $9 billion |
This transaction builds upon a partnership announced in June, where NAVER committed to using Nvidia technology for AI data center expansion and industrial AI applications. That earlier announcement also highlighted Nvidia’s broader ecosystem partnerships in South Korea with SK Hynix, SK Telecom, and Doosan. The current deal solidifies Nvidia’s strategic position in the country’s rapidly growing AI sector.
Market reaction reflected the positive sentiment surrounding the deal. In Seoul, NAVER shares rose 7.23% to 222,500 KRW ($151.76) at the time of writing. Meanwhile, Nvidia’s shares closed 0.92% lower on Friday at $206.84, dipping another 0.02% in extended trading. The divergence in immediate stock performance highlights the distinct market dynamics affecting each entity despite the collaborative nature of the announcement.
What the Numbers Show
The shift in partnership structure is a critical detail for investors analyzing Nvidia’s exposure in Asia. By moving from a risk-sharing partner model to a pure GPU supplier role, Nvidia secures high-margin hardware sales while limiting its operational liability in the datacenter’s long-term performance. The $1 billion equity stake ensures alignment with NAVER’s success, but the primary revenue driver will likely be the volume of Vera Rubin and Blackwell systems deployed in the 200-megawatt facility. With Brookfield proposing up to $9 billion in additional funding, the total capital pool for this single regional initiative suggests a massive scale of infrastructure development, potentially setting a template for future AI hub expansions in other Asian markets.
How might Nvidia's shift to a pure supplier role in this deal influence its future partnership structures with other Asian tech giants?
What impact could the deployment of 200 megawatts of AI capacity by 2028 have on South Korea's competitive standing in the global semiconductor and AI infrastructure market?
Will the proposed $9 billion from Brookfield Asset Management set a new benchmark for private equity involvement in sovereign-level AI infrastructure projects?

































