Turkey Moves to Build a Sovereign AI Infrastructure

Turkey has taken a significant step toward technological independence by launching efforts to establish a sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure, a move aimed at preventing local startups from relying on foreign data centers and hardware. The initiative aims to ensure that Turkish technology companies can meet their capacity, computing power, and hardware needs entirely within Turkey, without being forced to move operations abroad.

Speaking at Take Off Istanbul 2025, Mehmet Üner, Strategy Advisor at Ena Venture Capital, outlined the vision behind this initiative, emphasizing that the goal is to build an entirely domestic AI ecosystem capable of supporting the country’s fast-growing startup scene.

A Strategic Push for AI Independence

Üner explained that Ena Venture Capital focuses on early-stage investments in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies in Turkey. According to him, the fund primarily backs pre-seed and seed-stage startups operating in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

During the Take Off Istanbul event, Ena Venture Capital participated alongside four portfolio companies, each operating in a different but complementary technology domain. These companies include Orbina, which specializes in agent-based artificial intelligence (Agentic AI); Enlighty, which develops tools for customer and market intelligence; MagicPay, a payment gateway platform; and CloudFlex, which provides hybrid cloud infrastructure solutions.

Üner highlighted that these startups reflect the diversity and depth of Turkey’s emerging AI ecosystem, ranging from financial technologies to enterprise automation and cloud services.

Orbina Emerges as a Flagship AI Investment

Among Ena Venture Capital’s portfolio, Orbina stands out as one of its most prominent investments. Üner described the company as a source of pride, noting its strong domestic customer base and its success in delivering large-scale projects.

According to Üner, Orbina works extensively with banks, insurance companies, and public sector institutions, providing automation-driven solutions that significantly improve operational efficiency. By integrating artificial intelligence into core business processes, the company enables organizations to streamline workflows and increase productivity.

One of Orbina’s most distinctive achievements is the development of a Turkish-language large language model (LLM). Üner emphasized that this capability enables Orbina to create AI agents that operate fluently in Turkish, offering higher accuracy and contextual understanding than generic global models.

He explained (translated from Turkish):
“Orbina’s biggest advantage is that it has developed a Turkish large language model. This allows them to produce AI agents that speak our language best and provide the most effective assistance.”

This linguistic specialization gives Orbina a competitive edge in sectors where local language comprehension, regulatory context, and cultural nuance are critical.

The Infrastructure Problem Facing Turkish AI Startups

While discussing Ena Venture Capital’s broader investment strategy, Üner pointed to a structural issue affecting nearly all AI startups in Turkey: infrastructure dependency on foreign providers.

He noted that despite strong talent and innovative ideas, many Turkish AI startups are forced to seek cloud computing resources, data center capacity, and high-performance hardware abroad, primarily due to insufficient domestic alternatives.

Üner explained (translated from Turkish):
“When we started investing in AI startups, we realized that almost all of them were facing infrastructure challenges. Unfortunately, they were trying to solve these needs outside of Turkey.”

This reliance on foreign infrastructure not only increases costs but also raises concerns about data sovereignty, security, and long-term sustainability, especially for companies operating in sensitive sectors such as finance, defense, and public services.

Nuvena and the Vision of a Sovereign AI Layer

To address this challenge, Üner introduced Nuvena, a complementary investment initiative designed to support the creation of a sovereign AI infrastructure within Turkey.

The core objective of Nuvena is to establish domestic data center capacity and build an advanced AI layer on top of that infrastructure. This AI layer would provide startups and enterprises with access to computing power, storage, and AI tools without requiring them to host data or workloads outside the country.

Üner summarized the strategy (translated from Turkish):
“We said that Turkey should make an investment of its own and build a sovereign AI infrastructure. With this, startups can use the necessary capacity and hardware entirely within Turkey, without going abroad.”

By keeping data, computation, and AI workloads inside national borders, the initiative aims to strengthen technological sovereignty, reduce foreign dependency, and create a more resilient digital economy.

Building Data Centers and an AI Ecosystem

According to Üner, the long-term plan involves two critical layers. The first is the creation of robust data center capacity across Turkey. The second is the development of a sovereign artificial intelligence layer that operates atop this physical infrastructure.

He explained (translated from Turkish):
“Our goal is to create data center capacity in Turkey and then build an artificial intelligence layer on top of that capacity. With this sovereign AI layer, Turkish companies and startups will be able to meet all their capacity and hardware needs domestically.”

This approach is expected to benefit not only startups but also large enterprises, public institutions, and regulated industries, where data localization and compliance are increasingly important.

A Strategic Turning Point for Turkey’s AI Future

The push toward a sovereign AI infrastructure marks a strategic turning point for Turkey’s technology sector. As artificial intelligence becomes a foundational technology across industries, countries that control their own AI infrastructure gain a significant advantage in terms of economic resilience, national security, and innovation capacity.

By combining venture capital investment with long-term infrastructure planning, Ena Venture Capital and Nuvena are positioning Turkey to compete more effectively in the global AI race—while ensuring that local talent and innovation remain anchored within the country.

If successful, this initiative could redefine Turkey’s role in the regional AI landscape, transforming it from a technology consumer into a self-sufficient AI producer with complete control over its digital future.