GITEX AI Türkiye tech summit concludes with push for global technology investment

The GITEX AI Türkiye summit ended its two-day run in Istanbul after gathering global tech giants, investors and startups.

The event was hosted by Türkiye’s Investment and Finance Office alongside the Industry and Technology Ministry. Anadolu was its global communications partner.

Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir took the stage to deliver a keynote on the event’s final day Thursday.

The day saw various presentations, sessions and panel discussions, while the broader event featured prominent global tech hardware and software providers including Google Cloud, HPE, Nvidia, Dell Technologies and Huawei.

Turkish technoparks like Yildiz Technical University’s Yildiz Technopark and Istanbul Technical University’s ARI also took advantage of the platform to connect local startups with foreign investors.

Some 24 growth-stage startups from Türkiye’s Turcorn 100 program exhibited their operations to expand into global markets.

Discussions focused on practical artificial intelligence (AI) integration across sectors, including e-commerce logistics, digital fraud monitoring and automated banking services.

Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, head of the Turkish Investment and Finance Office, delivered a speech during the opening remarks of the event, as well as Sadullah Uzun from the Technology and AI General Directorate and GITEX CEO Trixie LohMirmand.

Michael Lally, US Consul General in Istanbul, delivered a speech on the intersection of capital and code in the global tech economy, while Ekrem Arikan from the Central Securities Depository’s management board spoke about the potential of tokenized on-chain assets as a new infrastructure layer for markets.

Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz delivered a speech on how AI is transforming the creative industries and studio workflows during a dedicated panel moderated by Gokhan Yucel, head of communications at the Turkish Investment and Finance Office.

Discussions were held on Türkiye’s capacity to attract tech growth capital and the critical needs of startups regarding infrastructure, market access and talent retention.

Panels at the two-day summit also focused on developing inclusive and secure AI frameworks and next-generation connectivity networks like 5G.