SEOUL: Naver Cloud, the cloud computing arm of South Korea's tech giant Naver, said on Thursday it will join hands with US chipmaker Intel to create an artificial intelligence (AI) chip software ecosystem.

The two companies have agreed to provide IT infrastructure based on Intel's AI accelerator, Gaudi, to help South Korean startups and universities conduct AI research projects and develop various software, according to Naver Cloud.

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

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

Naver Cloud said it also plans to test Intel's Gaudi 2 AI accelerator and work with the U.S. chip giant to develop a commercial cloud system.

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

"There aren't many companies worldwide that have developed and are operating a large language model from scratch like Naver Cloud," its CEO Kim Yu-won said.