President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Tuesday that Turkcell and Google Cloud will build Türkiye’s first hyperscale cloud region through a partnership backed by a $3 billion combined investment. The project, revealed at the 2025 TÜBİTAK and Academy of Sciences awards ceremony in Ankara, will operate between 2028 and 2029 to position Türkiye as a digital bridge between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The announcement occurred roughly six weeks after Turkcell and Google Cloud signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2024 to develop the hyperscale data-center infrastructure. Erdoğan described the initiative during his address as one that will transform Türkiye into the data hub of its region. This facility will join Google Cloud’s network of 42 hyperscale regions worldwide.
The cloud region will consist of multiple data centers equipped with advanced computing power, high-performance storage systems, network infrastructure, and cybersecurity measures. These components will support extensive data processing and secure operations across various applications.
Turkcell CEO Ali Taha Koç commented in November on the agreement, stating, “This strategic partnership is more than a technology investment—it is a milestone for Türkiye’s digital future.” Turkcell anticipates that the region will produce more than $5 billion in annual economic value once fully operational. The infrastructure will maintain Turkish data within national borders and supply local facilities to comply with data-residency requirements for organizations.
Services from the cloud region will encompass artificial intelligence capabilities, data storage solutions, and cybersecurity protections, all delivered directly from Türkiye. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian explained that the region will bring all of our cloud-computing services to Türkiye and connect it to our global network.
The hyperscale cloud project forms a key element of Türkiye’s broader digital-transformation strategy. Erdoğan highlighted in his speech the country’s progress in technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and unmanned technologies. He pointed out that Turkey has lowered its foreign dependency in defense technology from 80 percent.
Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz referred to the partnership in November as a highly critical step that strengthens Türkiye’s digital sovereignty and regional positioning. Türkiye presently maintains approximately 160 megawatts of data-center capacity, with projections for expansion beyond 210 megawatts in the future.
The initiative corresponds to Türkiye’s National Technology Initiative and “Digital Türkiye” strategy, which seek to establish the country as a leader in digital technologies. Over the past 23 years, the government has directed 153 billion Turkish liras toward more than 36,000 research projects and allocated 46.5 billion liras in support to over 415,000 scientists, according to Erdoğan.
