South Korean Internet company Naver said that its cloud-based digital twin technology has been selected as Saudi Arabia's national standard platform for municipal digital twin projects.
Team Naver said the platform received formal approval from Saudi Arabia's Digital Government Authority, giving the company a foundation to expand its technology throughout the country three years after winning its initial project in 2023.
Following the approval, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Municipalities and Housing recently sent an official notice recommending that local governments give priority consideration to Team Naver's platform when implementing smart-city projects.
The notice asks local authorities to consider using the platform for digital twin projects to prevent duplicated investment among municipalities and standardize technology and methodology nationally.
The broader goal is to connect digital twin and digital urban planning projects run by individual local governments under a unified national framework.
Saudi authorities plan to use Team Naver's platform to shift a range of local government functions toward data-driven administration, including urban planning, city operations, asset and infrastructure management and public safety.
Municipalities would also be able to share data and operational experience.
Team Naver won a contract from the Saudi municipal and housing ministry in October 2023 to establish digital twin platforms for major cities.
In 2025, the company completed systems for Mecca, Medina and Jeddah, digitally replicating more than 920,000 buildings across about 6,800 square kilometers, an area more than 11 times the size of Seoul.
Naver said the national designation will allow it to deepen cooperation with the Saudi government and local partners.
The company also plans to further develop technologies tailored to Saudi needs using the expertise and data accumulated through large-scale urban digital twin projects.
"This national standard designation is significant because it validates not only Team Naver's technology but also the results and trust we have built locally," said Chae Seon-joo, Naver's head of strategic business and chairwoman of Naver Innovation.
"We will use this as a foundation to incorporate Team Naver's capabilities in digital twins, artificial intelligence and cloud technology into urban infrastructure throughout Saudi Arabia and further strengthen our position as a key technology partner supporting digital transformation in the Middle East."
Source: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/08/20/saudi-arabia-naver-cloud/9871787268623/
