Naver and Siam.AI launch Thai-language LLM and tourism agent

South Korean tech giant Naver is entering Thailand’s AI market through a strategic partnership with local technology firm Siam.AI Cloud.

The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a Thai-language large language model (LLM) and a tourism-specific AI agent, with the first outputs expected by the end of 2025.

Naver Cloud will contribute its expertise in building and operating LLMs, drawing on decades of experience in language-specific AI development, while Siam.AI will provide Thai-language data and digital infrastructure.

The partnership aims to foster Thailand’s technological self-reliance, enabling the country to develop and run AI models domestically rather than relying on Western or Chinese technologies.

The move is a practical step toward achieving sovereign AI — a concept gaining momentum across Southeast Asia. One-third of Asia’s governments are expected to adopt sovereign cloud services by 2026, reflecting regional concerns about ‘digital colonialism’ and the need for local data control.

Thailand, and countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, are already implementing policies to retain data within national borders.

The Thai-Naver collaboration reflects a broader commitment to embedding AI into the healthcare, public services, and education sectors. The timing is strategic, with 77% of Thai businesses already deploying AI, especially in customer communication and acquisition.

The country’s AI market is projected to grow significantly through 2031, with machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision leading the charge.

Beyond tourism, banking, manufacturing, retail, and agriculture sectors are primed for AI transformation.

For example, Thailand’s agricultural AI market is projected to grow from $80.3 million in 2023 to nearly $114 million by 2029, driven by initiatives like the AGROWTH platform that supports deep-tech agricultural innovation.

Naver’s involvement draws on South Korea’s experience building AI for non-English languages. Having addressed similar challenges when developing Korean-language models in the 1980s, Naver is well positioned to support Thailand in creating AI tools that accurately reflect local language nuances and cultural context.

This partnership underscores a shift from importing AI tools to creating solutions tailored to national needs—backed by domestic infrastructure, local data, and region-specific expertise.

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