Construction has formally begun on a new data center campus in Temelli, Ankara, developed through a partnership between Türkiye’s Rönesans Holding and US-based data center operator Digital Realty. Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır joined public- and private-sector representatives at the groundbreaking ceremony in the Başkent Organized Industrial Zone.
The project is intended to expand Türkiye’s infrastructure for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data storage and connectivity services. Its first phase is scheduled to enter service in 2028. The announced dates and investment figures remain targets; the facility is not yet operational.
More than 22 megawatts of IT capacity in phase one
Under the partnership plan announced by Rönesans and Digital Realty on October 1, the first phase of the Temelli campus will provide more than 22 megawatts of information technology capacity and over 10,000 square meters of data center space. The partners aim to bring this phase online in 2028.
The original announcement also described plans for a second campus in Istanbul. Over the longer term, the partners said their Turkish platform could reach a combined 200 megawatts of IT capacity and investment potential of up to $3 billion. Those figures represent the long-range plan released by the companies at the start of October.
Groundbreaking ceremony brought broader estimates
At the October 19 ceremony, Kacır said the initial infrastructure and building investment in Temelli would amount to $450 million. He said another $900 million could follow for advanced cooling systems and high-capacity computing infrastructure.
The minister said fixed-capital investment at the Temelli campus could reach $4.1 billion when all phases are completed. He also said the Ankara and Istanbul projects could lead to a broader investment volume exceeding $10 billion over time. These are projections for future phases and additional technology spending, not amounts that have already been invested.
How the project fits Türkiye’s 2030 target
The government aims to raise Türkiye’s installed data center power to at least 1 gigawatt by 2030. If the partnership reaches its planned 200-megawatt capacity across Ankara and Istanbul, it would account for one fifth of that national target.
Kacır also referred to the $1.5 billion HIT Data Center call and the $1.6 billion HIT Artificial Intelligence call, which are designed to support large-scale data centers and cloud infrastructure. He said the Temelli facility is intended to prioritize energy and resource efficiency in its design and operations.
Who the campus is designed to serve
The planned campus is expected to provide storage, processing and connectivity infrastructure for cloud providers, financial institutions, technology companies, public bodies and other large enterprise customers. Digital Realty contributes experience from operating an international data center network, while Rönesans is responsible for investment, financing and project delivery capabilities.
An independent sector report published by Ekonomim on October 19 also said growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud services is accelerating data center investment in Türkiye, identifying the Rönesans-Digital Realty partnership as one of the country’s major new infrastructure projects.
The groundbreaking marks the move into the construction stage, but the 2028 launch target, later phases and projected investment totals may still change. It is therefore important to distinguish between confirmed first-phase specifications and the wider long-term ambition. The current first phase is designed for more than 22 megawatts of IT capacity, while the 200-megawatt goal covers the broader Ankara and Istanbul partnership program.
