GITEX Ai Türkiye debuts in Istanbul as the Türkiye's largest AI event, spotlighting its path to global AI leadership.

İSTANBUL, TURKEY, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Tech leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers converge as opening day centres attention on the innovation and cross-border collaboration powering Türkiye’s digital economy
More than 350 exhibitors, 100 speakers and 150 investors unite as Türkiye fast-tracks its 2026-2030 AI Action Plan for national tech sovereignty and sustainable digital transformation
Türkiye’s AI ambitions moved into the global spotlight today as the inaugural GITEX Ai Türkiye 2026 opened at Istanbul Expo Center, bringing technology leaders, investors, policymakers and startups from Türkiye and around the world together at a pivotal moment for the country’s digital economy.
Running until 10 September, GITEX Ai Türkiye brings the full force of Türkiye’s technology ecosystem together with the world’s most influential technology companies, creating a powerful Eurasian digital corridor for international expertise, investment and market opportunity.
GITEX Ai Türkiye unites 350-plus enterprise and startup exhibitors, 100 speakers, 150 investors with US$75 billion-plus in assets, and thousands of tech executives from 70 countries. The country’s most international tech and AI event arrives as Türkiye fast-tracks its 2026-2030 AI Action Plan to build 1GW of data centre capacity, mobilise US$10 billion of private sector investment for AI infrastructure, and train five million AI-literate citizens over the next two years.
Spanning AI, cloud and data centres, cybersecurity, fintech and intelligent infrastructure, the event features global technology heavyweights including Google Cloud, HPE & NVIDIA, AWS, Huawei, Dell Technologies, SAP and TrendAI, alongside leading Turkish organisations Trendyol, Andevos and Halkbank, and innovation accelerators Antalya Teknokent, İTÜ ARI Teknokent and Giresun Teknopark, among others.
Hosted by the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (Invest in Türkiye) in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and organised by inD, the global organiser of GITEX, the event comes as Türkiye continues to expand its technology capabilities, develop talent and strengthen global connections.
Gokhan Yucel, Head of Communications Department, Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, delivered a welcome address today: “Türkiye’s AI ecosystem already comprises around 1,500 active AI companies. From Türkiye, businesses can access 1.3 billion people and markets with a combined GDP of US$35 trillion within a four-hour flight radius.
“We describe Türkiye not merely as a bridge, but as the nexus of the world. Our ambition is clear: we want Türkiye to be where global technology companies invest with confidence, investors discover the next generation of high-growth ventures, and entrepreneurs build locally and scale globally. GITEX Ai Türkiye brings that proposition to life, connecting technology, talent and capital with global opportunity.”
Bilal Alrais, Vice President of Digital Growth at inD, in his welcome address, said: “For GITEX Ai Türkiye our focus goes beyond convening the ecosystem. We are here to support Turkish companies to grow internationally, attract investment into the country and create partnerships that translate into real business opportunities.”
Türkiye scales the infrastructure powering its AI economy
AI infrastructure emerged as a defining theme as thousands of visitors packed the halls at Istanbul Expo Center. Global tech companies demonstrated how expanding compute, cloud and data centre capabilities are supporting enterprise transformation and increasingly sophisticated AI deployment.
“Digital transformation is no longer a choice, but a fundamental requirement for business continuity and competitiveness,” said İlker Rodoplu, Country Manager for Dell Technologies. “We offer hybrid and multi-cloud architectures that seamlessly integrate cloud, edge computing, and on-premises solutions while modernising our customers’ existing infrastructure.”
He added: “Our goal is to simplify technology, reduce operational complexity, and enable businesses to focus on what truly matters: growth through innovation. In this context, we are thrilled to share concrete examples of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the business world with our clients at the event.”
Huawei, meanwhile, is highlighting the scale of its existing AI and cloud infrastructure footprint in Türkiye and its plans to support continued growth in Türkiye’s AI economy. The company, which has operated local cloud infrastructure in Türkiye since 2023, says it is the first hyperscaler with local infrastructure operating on a three-availability-zone architecture, complemented by a disaster recovery centre opened in Ankara in 2024.
“For 20 years enterprise IT was mostly about storing things and serving them reliably,” said Safder Baydur, Huawei Cloud Türkiye Sales Director. “Now our customers are training and running models, and that is a fundamentally different kind of load. You can see it in the global numbers. Data centre capacity was around 60 gigawatts in 2020, 97 by 2024, and the projections put it at 226 by 2030.”
World’s largest innovation and entrepreneurship hub signs GITEX MoU
The opening day also saw GITEX and Terminal Istanbul sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will give Terminal Istanbul a presence across GITEX events globally, creating new opportunities to showcase Türkiye’s startup ecosystem to international investors, technology companies and markets.
The partnership comes as Terminal Istanbul transforms the former Atatürk Airport terminals into what is planned to become the world’s largest innovation and entrepreneurship hub. The redevelopment will turn approximately 500,000 sqm of terminal space into offices, incubation centres, co-working areas and facilities for startups, investors and accelerator programmes.
“As Terminal İstanbul, we see international collaboration as an important part of building a stronger and more globally connected entrepreneurship ecosystem in Türkiye,” said Erkam Tuzgen, CEO of Terminal Istanbul.
“Our MoU partnership with GITEX is another step in expanding our reach into one of the world’s leading technology and innovation platforms, while strengthening Türkiye’s position within the global entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.”
Sovereign capital looks to turn innovation into global scale
Beyond infrastructure, day one placed a spotlight on another critical ingredient in building a globally competitive technology economy: capital. As Turkish technology companies mature and target international markets, Türkiye Wealth Fund (TWF) is positioning sovereign capital as a catalyst for growth.
“Sovereign capital can play a catalytic role by investing with a long-term perspective and helping attract additional institutional and international capital into the ecosystem,” said Bilal Bedir, Executive Director of Investments at Türkiye Wealth Fund and Member of the Board of Directors of the Türkiye Technology Fund. “In technology, this means supporting strong fund managers, facilitating access to global networks and creating pathways for promising companies to access growth capital.”
AI and open banking accelerate Türkiye’s fintech transformation
Türkiye’s evolving financial sector was another major focus at GITEX Ai Türkiye, where banks, fintech companies and technology providers are exploring how AI, open banking and intelligent automation can drive the next generation of financial services.
“Türkiye holds immense potential, combining rapid technology adoption with a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Ömer Emeç, PhD., Deputy General Manager of Strategy, Transformation, and Ecosystem at Halkbank, one of Türkiye’s leading state-owned banks. “At Halkbank, we are investing strategically in AI, digital banking and next-generation technologies. GITEX Ai Türkiye strengthens this momentum by connecting global vision with local potential and creating opportunities for groundbreaking ideas.”
Additionally, Turkish technology company Andevos is showcasing its Payment Automation solutions, helping organisations manage self-service channels and simplify financial operations. The company is also meeting with financial institutions and partners to discuss its Paynova open banking platform and AI Assistant initiatives.
“Türkiye’s banking expertise and technology talent provide a strong foundation for the next generation of financial services,” said Orhan Akbulut, General Manager of Andevos. “Over the next five years, we see significant opportunities in open banking, embedded finance and AI-powered automation. For us, the real value lies in turning these technologies into practical improvements: shorter waiting times, fewer manual steps and more reliable operations.”
GITEX Ai Türkiye continues tomorrow, 10 September, with a Ministerial address in the morning followed by discussions and showcases spanning AI, data centres and intelligent infrastructure, fintech, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and enterprise digital transformation.

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