South Korean technology company Naver says its cloud-based digital twin platform has been approved by Saudi Arabia’s Digital Government Authority as the national standard platform for municipal digital twin projects, giving the company a stronger foundation to expand its technology across the Kingdom.
The designation follows Naver’s initial entry into Saudi Arabia in 2023, when it won a contract to build digital twin platforms for major cities.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has since issued guidance encouraging local governments to give priority consideration to Naver’s platform when implementing smart-city and digital twin projects.
Saudi Arabia moves toward a unified digital twin framework
The ministry’s notice is intended to reduce duplicated investment between municipalities and standardise technology and methodologies used across local government projects.
The broader objective is to connect separate municipal digital twin and digital urban planning initiatives under a more unified national framework.
That could allow cities to use a common platform for urban planning, infrastructure management and data-driven municipal services while making it easier to share operational experience and datasets.
Platform to support urban planning and city operations
Saudi authorities plan to use the platform across a range of municipal functions.
Potential applications include urban planning, city operations, asset and infrastructure management and public safety.
The use of a common digital twin environment could also help municipalities model physical infrastructure digitally and use that data to improve planning and operational decision-making.
Naver already deployed systems in Mecca, Medina and Jeddah
Naver won its Saudi municipal digital twin contract in October 2023.
In 2025, the company completed digital twin systems for Mecca, Medina and Jeddah.
According to Naver, those deployments digitally replicated more than 920,000 buildings across approximately 6,800 square kilometres.
That area is more than 11 times the size of Seoul, according to the company.
The scale of those deployments appears to have played a significant role in establishing the technical and operational track record behind the national designation.
Approval creates pathway for wider municipal adoption
Formal approval from the Digital Government Authority gives Naver a stronger position as Saudi municipalities consider future smart-city projects.
The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing’s recommendation does not necessarily mean every local authority is required to adopt the platform, but it does place Naver in a preferred position for consideration.
The emphasis on standardisation suggests Saudi authorities are looking to avoid fragmented municipal technology stacks and build more interoperable urban systems.
Naver plans to combine digital twins with AI and cloud
Naver said it plans to deepen cooperation with the Saudi government and local partners following the designation.
The company also intends to develop technologies tailored to Saudi requirements using the data and experience accumulated through its existing urban digital twin deployments.
Chae Seon-joo, Naver’s head of strategic business and chairwoman of Naver Innovation, said the designation validates both the company’s technology and the results it has achieved locally.
She added that Naver plans to combine its capabilities in digital twins, artificial intelligence and cloud technology with Saudi urban infrastructure.
Why this matters
The designation is significant because it moves Naver from being a supplier on individual city projects toward becoming part of Saudi Arabia’s broader municipal digital infrastructure framework.
A national standard can reduce fragmentation, improve interoperability and make it easier for municipalities to share data, methodologies and operational practices.
For Saudi Arabia, that supports a more coordinated approach to smart-city development.
For Naver, it creates a potential route to scale from a handful of major city deployments into a wider national footprint.
Editor’s note
The strategic value lies in standardisation.
Digital twin projects can become expensive and difficult to integrate when cities build them independently using different platforms and data models.
Saudi Arabia’s move toward a common municipal framework could help turn digital twins from isolated visualisation projects into shared operational infrastructure for planning, asset management and public services.
For Naver, the next stage will be whether it can convert its early-city success into broader national adoption while integrating AI and cloud services more deeply into municipal workflows.
