Turkey launches $4.1 billion data centre project in Ankara

On Monday, officials gathered in the Başkent Organized Industrial Zone of Ankara to break ground on a massive data centre complex valued at $4.1 billion. The development is a joint venture between local contractor Rönesans Holding and global operator Digital Realty, with an initial $450 million earmarked for basic infrastructure and building works and a further $900 million for cooling and IT equipment. Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır described data processing and cloud computing as "the oil of the 21st century" and linked the project to Turkey’s broader HIT-30 program, which promises $30 billion in incentives for high-tech projects through 2030.

He also noted the country’s National Technology Initiative and the Turkish Science e-Infrastructure (TRUBA), which already supports thousands of researchers with extensive computing resources. The government’s AI Action Plan targets at least 1 gigawatt of domestic data-centre capacity by 2030, and the partnership with Rönesans and Digital Realty is expected to contribute 200 megawatts, roughly one-fifth of the national target. Overall, the venture aims to cement Turkey’s role as a regional digital hub and attract further foreign investment in cloud and AI infrastructure.