Türkiye moves to build sovereign AI infrastructure with venture fund backing

A major push is underway to develop a sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure within Türkiye, reducing dependency on foreign technology providers. The initiative, led by venture capital fund Ena Venture Capital, aims to establish domestic data centers and a dedicated AI software layer to serve the growing ecosystem of Turkish startups and enterprises.

Addressing a critical gap for AI startups

Mehmet Uner, strategy advisor at Ena Venture Capital, explained the motivation behind the move. He observed that domestic AI startups consistently face infrastructure shortages, forcing them to seek solutions abroad. "We said, 'Let’s make an investment in Türkiye and create our own sovereign AI infrastructure,' so our startups can use this as a base instead of reaching for abroad," Uner stated at the Take Off Istanbul 2025 event. The fund plans to realize this goal through its investment in a new firm, Nuvena.

Showcasing portfolio strengths and Turkish-language AI

Ena Venture Capital showcased several of its AI-focused portfolio companies at the startup summit. These include Orbina, which specializes in agentic AI and has executed significant projects for banks, insurers, and the public sector. A key feature of Orbina is its development of a Turkish large language model (LLM), enabling the creation of AI assistants optimized for the native language. Other portfolio firms presented were Enlighty (customer insights), MagicPay (payment processing), and CloudFlex (hybrid cloud infrastructure).

Strategic goal: technological self-sufficiency

The overarching objective is to foster technological independence and retain data within national borders. "With our sovereign AI layer, we want Turkish firms and startups to meet their capacity and hardware needs from inside of our country instead of foreign solutions," Uner emphasized. This strategy aligns with broader national efforts to build indigenous capabilities in critical technologies, ensuring both economic resilience and data security for the Turkish AI sector.