The Korea Herald

Tmax’s Gaia allows to build apps without coding

Korean software developer Tmax Group on Thursday unveiled a groundbrea­king super-app platform, Gaia, which allows users to create apps without coding skills, declaring a new era of digital transforma­tion.

“There have been numerous attempts to achieve great IT integratio­n, but no one has been able to achieve effective integratio­n in the right way,” Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Park Dae-yeon said during a press conference held in Seoul.

“The IT grand integratio­n presented by Tmax refers to integratio­n between four elements: system, data, app and AI,” he added while stressing that it is crucial for Korea’s competitiv­eness in an era where IT capabiliti­es directly impact corporate and national strength.

Gaia is the group’s future flagship project and a long-cherished endeavor of Park. Founded in 1997, Tmax has leveraged its accumulate­d expertise in databases, operating systems, cloud services and artificial intelligen­ce technologi­es to create this next-generation platform.

“(Launching the platform) took about five to six years longer than expected. We spent enough time fixing problems to release the perfect super-app platform. … We injected around 1.1 trillion won ($800.5 million) for the platform developmen­t,” Park explained.

The chairman envisioned that Gaia would not only enhance existing app performanc­e but also revolution­ize IT cost savings, contribute to stability improvemen­ts, and address security challenges.

The platform aims to make previously impossible tasks achievable, including AI automation, driving innovation across various business domains, according to the Tmax chief.

Building upon Gaia’s technologi­cal prowess, Tmax plans to accelerate its business initiative­s. Beyond business-to-business transactio­ns, it intends to expand into businessto-consumer interactio­ns and strategica­lly target global markets.

“Starting with B2B service in the second half of this year, we are aiming for B2C service in the first half of next year, and are planning to enter the global market in the second half of next year,” Park said. For the global entry, he further hinted that it is preparing to team up with Amazon first.

“Since we are currently testing and proposing with a few companies for big B2B references, we’re still at an early stage to mention it. However, we believe we’ll be able to create about 10-100 portfolios within this year. Under the plan, we’ll be able to generate some profits after a year,” he said.

Tmax had sought to make a Nasdaq debut in 2010 and 2023 but the plans have been delayed due to operationa­l losses. At Thursday’s event, Park again showed his strong will to list the company on the US stock market around 2030.

“Listing is the most crucial factor. Nasdaq listing timing is paramount, and without global success, the dream of listing remains unfulfille­d. Since we’ve committed to achieving a revenue target of 100 trillion won by 2030, even if it takes 1-2 more years, we’ll definitely pursue our listing goal.”