Türkiye to launch first national LLM enriched with Turkish data
A digital visualization of neural networks with the letters "LLM" prominently displayed in a central hexagon, surrounded by glowing orange connections on a blue technological background, accessed on April 24, 2025. (Adobe Stock Photo)
Türkiye plans to unveil its first indigenous large language model (LLM) enriched with Turkish data as part of the country’s push to become a leader in artificial intelligence technology, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir announced Wednesday.
“We will implement applications that will pave the way for the development of domestic and original artificial intelligence models,” Kacir said at the opening of the 7th Productivity and Technology Fair in Ankara, which runs until April 27.
The fair, themed “Artificial Intelligence Technologies” this year, was inaugurated with the participation of Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş at the ATO Congresium.
In his address, Kacir highlighted Türkiye’s industrial achievements over the past 22 years under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership, noting that the country has become a world leader in unmanned aerial vehicle production and now manufactures its own training aircraft, helicopters, naval platforms, and satellites.
“Türkiye has taken its place at the heart of European value chains in many areas, from solar panels to commercial vehicles, from white goods to iron and steel,” Kacir said, adding that Togg, Türkiye’s domestically produced electric vehicle, is now on the roads.
The minister emphasized Türkiye’s export growth, which has risen from $36 billion to over $263 billion annually, reaching the highest level in the republic’s history. He noted that after China, Türkiye is the country that can export the most diverse range of products competitively to the most countries in the region extending to Central Europe.
Türkiye’s AI development strategy
Addressing the global AI landscape, Kacir expressed concern that AI development is primarily driven by profit-maximizing companies rather than entities with direct social responsibility like governments or academia.
He pointed out that the United States and China are steadily widening their lead in this field, which he described as “a new front in technology wars.”
“The inability of global actors to adopt a common stance even in the face of major humanitarian crises like Gaza weakens hopes for reaching consensus on universal principles for AI use in the near future,” he said.
Kacir stressed that Türkiye, as a country pursuing the National Technology Initiative, cannot afford to fall behind in AI development. “With the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, it’s possible to achieve significant additional growth in our economy in the coming years,” he said.
“The key to Türkiye’s best utilization of the AI revolution is shaping our production systems, education policies, and technological infrastructure with a holistic strategy,” Kacir explained. “This means preparing our entrepreneurship ecosystem, industry, and workforce for the digital economy—that’s the essence of the National Technology Initiative.”
Türkiye invests 25 billion liras in 4,800 projects, 6,275 individuals
The minister revealed that Türkiye has provided more than 25 billion liras ($653 million) in support to 4,800 projects and 6,275 individuals in the field of artificial intelligence over the past 22 years through TUBITAK scholarship and support programs.
“More than 2,900 companies in our technoparks are implementing innovative projects in artificial intelligence,” Kacir said, adding that 218 R&D centers are working on AI projects.
Türkiye has also established a supercomputer called ARF with the computing power of 35,000 laptops to support big data analysis and artificial intelligence research. Additionally, as a member of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, Türkiye has direct access to MareNostrum 5, one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
“In the coming period, we will make available Türkiye’s first large language model enriched with Turkish data,” Kacir said. “We will implement applications that will pave the way for the development of domestic and original artificial intelligence models.”
The minister concluded by inviting Turkish Cypriots and all citizens to TEKNOFEST, which will be held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from May 1-4.
