The launch event for GITEX Ai Türkiye, scheduled to take place in Istanbul on September 9-10, 2026 in Istanbul, was held at Çırağan Palace. GITEX Ai Türkiye will be held under an MoU signed by the Investment and Finance Office, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Dubai World Trade Centre, and KAOUN International, bringing the GITEX GLOBAL brand to Türkiye with a dedicated focus on artificial intelligence.
Speaking at the launch event, Investment and Finance Office President A. Burak Dağlıoğlu shared key insights into Türkiye's rapidly growing AI startup ecosystem. He noted that Türkiye is home to more than 1,000 AI-focused startups, adding that over 300 investment transactions were recorded in 2025 alone—most of them at the early stage.
“More indicators will emerge in the coming years," Dağlıoğlu said, highlighting Türkiye's production of the first AI unicorn in Central and Eastern Europe, Insider, as a strong signal of the ecosystem's maturity.
Dağlıoğlu emphasized that GITEX Ai Türkiye represents a highly strategic event for the country, underlining the importance of attracting global technology brands to Türkiye. Stressing GITEX's global reach, he stated that the event would make a meaningful contribution to the local innovation ecosystem.
Also speaking at the event, Ministry of Industry and Technology National Technology and AI Director General Sadullah Uzun underlined Türkiye's ambition to build a sustainable and globally integrated high-tech and AI ecosystem.
“Over the past decade, we have not only built startups; we have established a strong foundation spanning fintech and gaming to healthcare and industrial innovation," Uzun said. He added that cooperation among universities, technoparks, and the public sector is now enabling the emergence of companies capable of competing on a global scale.
Dubai World Trade Centre Executive Vice President Trixie LohMirmand highlighted Türkiye's success in its scale-driven economic transformation, noting the country's strong performance across manufacturing, logistics, finance, gaming, and e-commerce.
Describing the GITEX platform, LohMirmand stressed that it goes beyond a traditional trade event, “We are not a conventional exhibition focused on buying and selling. We are an ecosystem gathering that brings together governments, academics, investors, futurists, entrepreneurs, talent, and global technology companies across sectors. There is a convergence taking place in technology and artificial intelligence—AI can now be applied across virtually every industry. That is why this platform is more essential than ever, especially at a time when Türkiye, like many economies worldwide, stands at a critical turning point."