Türkiye aims to become leading center of AI age, tech minister says

Türkiye plans to place itself among leading nations in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies through massive investments and a new national action plan, the Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said on Thursday.

Speaking at the GITEX Ai Türkiye event, he stated that the government is rolling out comprehensive support to expand the innovation ecosystem.

The global event, hosted by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment Office and the Industry and Technology Ministry, opened its doors on Wednesday at the Istanbul Expo Center.

Anadolu Agency acts as the global communication partner for the event where startups, investors and tech giants gathered to expand into new markets and develop collaborations.

Kacir noted that the country established 1,700 research and development centers and supports more than 13,000 firms across 115 technoparks today.

The minister highlighted the success of Türkiye's national all-electric car Togg, adding that citizens drive nearly 120,000 of these vehicles on the roads.

He explained that public fund of funds mechanisms mobilized $2.8 billion for the startup ecosystem.

The government recently announced a $300 million allocation to venture capital funds, which will bring more than $750 million into the ecosystem, Kacir added.

He emphasized that Türkiye boasts eight unicorns, which the country calls Turcorns, and aims to produce 100,000 technology startups.

The government is transforming the former Istanbul Ataturk Airport terminal into the largest startup hub in the world to strengthen the city's position as an international technology center, he said.

Addressing the rise of AI, Kacir committed $150 million in public funding to AI-focused venture capital funds.

The government also launched the HIT-30 program, a $30 billion support initiative that includes a $1.6 billion call for artificial intelligence to accelerate digital transformation, he stated.

Through the country's AI Action Plan for 2026-2030, the government plans to allocate at least 2% of public investment programs to artificial intelligence projects.

By 2030, Türkiye will expand its data center capacity to one gigawatt and mobilize at least $10 billion in private sector investment for cloud technologies and digital infrastructure, Kacir noted.

He also announced that the government will soon release the first version of BILGE, a Turkish large language model, to developers.