Türkiye has put into force a national artificial intelligence action plan covering 2026 through 2030, aiming to mobilize at least $10 billion in mostly private investment for data centers, cloud services, and AI infrastructure. The presidential circular, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took effect Tuesday and formalizes a plan first presented in June.
The roadmap is organized around four pillars - "Recognize, Benefit, Produce and Govern" - and targets the full arc of AI development, from public awareness to domestic technology production and governance.
Infrastructure targets and public investment
The plan sets a concrete goal: raise Türkiye's data center installed capacity to at least 1 gigawatt by 2030. New regulations will require facilities to meet international standards and energy-efficiency requirements.
The government will direct at least 2% of public investment programs toward AI projects and expand AI-supported public services. Small and medium-sized businesses in priority areas such as health, energy, and smart manufacturing will get access to AI tools through an AI voucher system, designed to move promising ideas into tested products.
Workforce development sits prominently under the "Recognize" pillar. A National Artificial Intelligence Literacy Program will set up workshops in all 81 provinces, with a government target of reaching 5 million citizens within two years. The plan also calls for training 10,000 advanced AI specialists and 100,000 AI application professionals.
Domestic production and startup support
The "Produce" pillar focuses on helping Türkiye develop its own AI technologies and grow its research and startup ecosystem. The plan creates AI growth zones with ready-to-use energy and infrastructure, backed by a National Artificial Intelligence Research Fund for research and an Artificial Intelligence Growth Fund to support startups.
A $150 million public allocation will go toward venture capital funds to improve financing access for AI startups from early stage through scaling.
Why the new plan departs from the previous strategy
The new roadmap follows Türkiye's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2021-2025), which the government said had been implemented and produced significant gains. But the circular said a new approach was needed as AI continues reshaping the global economy, public services, production models, and society.
The new plan places greater weight on infrastructure and investment, AI workforce development, wider use in the public sector, and domestic production. It also gives more attention to digital sovereignty, with measures covering data, computing capacity, Turkish-language models, and Türkiye's ability to develop and govern AI technologies independently.
For public sector officials, the relevant skills shift covers both policy design and operational adoption. The plan's emphasis on AI-supported public services means government employees will need working familiarity with these systems. Training such as AI for Government can support that. More broadly, the strategic direction mirrors what AI for Policy Makers covers: understanding what AI can do, what it costs, and how to govern it.
Why this matters for government professionals
Türkiye's plan sets explicit, measurable targets - data center capacity, workforce numbers, and spending shares - that will guide procurement, hiring, and regulation for the next five years. Government employees who understand the infrastructure and workforce goals can position themselves ahead of forthcoming initiatives. The plan rewards AI literacy across the public sector; officials who invest in operational AI knowledge now will be better placed to lead the rollout of AI-supported public services.
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