Naver secures $1B from Nvidia, $9B from Brookfield for AI data center expansion

Naver, South Korea’s dominant internet platform, just locked down commitments from Nvidia and Brookfield Asset Management to supercharge its AI data center ambitions. Nvidia is putting up $1 billion while Brookfield’s commitment stretches to $9 billion, funding what Naver calls its “AI factory” project centered on the GAK Sejong facility. What Naver is actually building The plan starts with an initial deployment of 55 megawatts of capacity at the Sejong data center, with Naver’s roadmap calling for reaching gigawatt-scale capacity by 2029. Nvidia’s primary contribution centers on providing advanced GPU and AI platform technology rather than a straightforward cash investment. The broader Nvidia-South Korea ecosystem envisions deploying over 60,000 GPUs across various sectors, with Naver Cloud serving as one of the key anchor tenants. Brookfield is targeting investments exceeding 10 trillion won, which translates to over $7 billion at current exchange rates. The funding covers both the data center buildout and the power infrastructure needed to feed it. Naver’s chair Lee Hae-jin personally traveled to Toronto around July 20, 2026, to meet with Brookfield executives and hammer out the...