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Türkiye plans to place itself among leading nations in artificial intelligence technologies through major investments and a new national action plan, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said Thursday.
Speaking at the GITEX AI Türkiye event in Istanbul, Kacir said the government was rolling out comprehensive support to expand the country’s innovation ecosystem.
The global event, hosted by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment Office and the Industry and Technology Ministry, opened Wednesday at the Istanbul Expo Center.
Anadolu Agency is serving as the global communication partner for the event, where startups, investors, and technology giants gather to expand into new markets and develop collaborations.
Kacir said Türkiye has established 1,700 research and development centers and supports more than 13,000 firms across 115 technoparks.
He also highlighted the success of Türkiye’s national all-electric car, the Togg, saying nearly 120,000 Togg vehicles are now on the road.
Kacir said public fund-of-funds mechanisms have mobilized $2.8 billion for the startup ecosystem.
The government recently announced a $300 million allocation to venture capital funds, which Kacir said would bring more than $750 million into the ecosystem.
He said Türkiye has eight unicorns, which the country calls “Turcorns,” and aims to produce 100,000 technology startups.
The government is also transforming the former Istanbul Ataturk Airport terminal into what Kacir described as the world’s largest startup hub to strengthen Istanbul’s position as an international technology center.
Addressing the rise of artificial intelligence, Kacir said the government had committed $150 million in public funding to AI-focused venture capital funds.
He said Türkiye had 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.
Under Türkiye’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 aims to 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 said.
He also announced that the government would soon release the first version of BILGE, a Turkish large language model, to developers.
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