Erdoğan rolls out AI roadmap to boost digital capacity

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced his government’s new action plan on artificial intelligence during a summit in Istanbul, outlining a five-year roadmap to boost the country’s digital capacity.

Türkiye will mobilize at least $10 billion in mainly private-sector investment for data centers, cloud computing and AI infrastructure under the new plan, Erdoğan told the summit on June 13.

He said the country aims to increase its installed data center capacity to at least 1 gigawatt by 2030, adding that at least 2 percent of public investment programs will be allocated to AI projects.

Erdoğan said the action plan aims to take Türkiye into the league of leading countries in AI technologies.

Political, military and economic power “can no longer be considered separately from digital sovereignty,” he said, adding that “digital capacity has become a force multiplier.”

Türkiye is among the countries that recognized this technological transformation early and shaped its policies accordingly, according to Erdoğan.

The president cited Türkiye’s 5G launch on March 31, the establishment of the Cybersecurity Presidency and the launch of the country’s first indigenous communications satellite in 2024 as steps strengthening its digital independence.

He said Türkiye has built a major innovation infrastructure over the past 23 years, with more than 1,700 research, development and design centers, 114 technoparks and over 13,000 technology companies.

The action plan is built on four main pillars — “discover, benefit, produce and govern” — with four complementary actions under each pillar, he noted.

Under the “benefit” pillar, Erdoğan said AI will be turned into concrete value in fields ranging from public services and industry to education, health, agriculture and security.

He said legal regulations will be introduced to guarantee that data centers meet international standards and energy efficiency requirements.

Erdoğan said the government will develop domestic AI models, establish “AI growth zones” and support research and startups through national research and growth funds under the “produce” axis.

Türkiye will position Istanbul as the country’s international showcase and investment diplomacy city in AI, Erdoğan said on the “govern” pillar. Terminal Istanbul will be used as a meeting ground for entrepreneurs and global investors, he said.

Erdoğan added that Türkiye will take an active role in shaping human-centered AI standards at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nation, G20 and other international platforms.

Later in the day, Erdoğan welcomed North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. Further details on the closed-door meeting were not immediately available.