Minister of Industry and Technology M. Fatih Kacır announced a comprehensive initiative to strengthen Türkiye's AI ecosystem and digital infrastructure, including a USD 3 billion public funding commitment aimed at catalyzing USD 10 billion in private-sector investments in data centers and AI technologies.
Speaking at the “AI at Work" Graduation Ceremony, held at the Yıldız Technical University Congress and Culture Center in Istanbul, Minister Kacır outlined Türkiye's vision of becoming a leading digital hub while expanding national AI capabilities, talent development, and data infrastructure.
Highlighting the government's commitment to accelerating AI adoption and investment, Minister Kacır stated: “We will mobilize USD 10 billion in private-sector investment by providing approximately USD 3 billion in public funding for data center and AI investments. At the same time, we will allocate at least 2 percent of total public investment expenditure to AI projects. In doing so, we will generate more than TRY 1 trillion in value for the national economy."
As part of the initiative, Türkiye plans to establish AI growth zones, expand its digital infrastructure, and increase national data center capacity. The government also aims to accelerate private-sector investments through measures designed to position Türkiye as a regional digital hub.
The minister also announced a nationwide AI literacy campaign that will provide AI training to five million citizens across all 81 provinces over the next two years. In addition, Türkiye aims to train 100,000 AI application professionals to support the country's growing technology ecosystem.
Addressing the importance of data in AI development, Minister Kacır stated: “We are fully aware of the value of data in this process. We will create new opportunities and mechanisms to ensure that Türkiye's data remains in Türkiye, that our data is processed using our own models, and that we can generate value from our own data."
The Minister further announced plans to make government-held data available to AI developers, adding: “We will make public-sector data and large-scale datasets available to Türkiye's AI developers. We have set a target of providing at least 2,000 public datasets to our AI developers so that they can develop indigenous and national solutions."
Minister Kacır also highlighted Türkiye's expanding innovation ecosystem, noting that the country now hosts 114 technoparks, more than 13,000 technology startups, and over 1,700 R&D and design centers. He added that Türkiye's R&D workforce has grown from 29,000 to 311,000 over the past 23 years, while annual R&D expenditure has increased from USD 1.2 billion to USD 19.9 billion.
The announcements reflect Türkiye's broader strategy to strengthen its technological capabilities, foster innovation-driven growth, and reaffirm its position as a competitive powerhouse for digital infrastructure and AI investment.