The foundation of the "Türksat Gölbaşı Data Center" project, which will gather the IT and cloud infrastructure of public institutions under a single roof, was laid by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdülkadir Uraloğlu. Stating that they are building one of the strongest fortresses of Türkiye's national digital independence, Minister Uraloğlu said, "We are establishing data sovereignty on our own soil. This center of ours is not just a reinforced concrete structure, but Türkiye's new digital fortress."
The foundation of the Türksat Gölbaşı Data Center was laid with a ceremony attended by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Uraloğlu, Deputy Ministers Ahmet Hamdi Atalay, Enver İskurt, Osman Boyraz, AK Party Deputy Chairman Ömer İleri, MHP Deputy Chairman Mevlüt Karakaya, Türksat Chairman of the Board Mücahit Arman, Türksat senior management, and executives of public institutions. Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Uraloğlu pointed out that space has become an arena where global power balances and strategic advantages are redefined, stating that satellite technologies stand out as a critical element changing the course of modern warfare.
Expressing that satellites provide states with unparalleled superiority in areas such as intelligence gathering, real-time communication, target detection, and logistical coordination, Uraloğlu said, "We saw this reality during the despicable attack on our Gölbaşı Campus during the treacherous July 15 coup attempt, the 10th anniversary of which we observed last week. Thanks to the sacrifice of our heroic employees, our brothers Ahmet Özsoy and Ali Karslı, who were martyred in the attack that night, broadcasts were not interrupted, our Honorable President's call reached our nation, and the national will was protected. That night, we saw once again that Türksat is not just an institution, but the keystone of our nation's survival, its right to information, and its digital security."
Uraloğlu stated that Türksat, which embraced the limitless potential of space with the TÜRKSAT 1B satellite in 1994, has taken this vision even further most recently with 6A, noting that today, Türksat holds a strong position among global satellite operators with its 6 active satellites in the 31, 42, and 50-degree orbits. Explaining that Türksat satellites cater to a population of 5.5 billion, meaning two-thirds of the world's approximately 8.3 billion population, Uraloğlu said, "By commissioning TÜRKSAT 6A, which we produced with an indigenization rate of over 80 percent in particular, we have elevated Türkiye among the 11 countries in the world capable of designing and manufacturing communication satellites, bringing Türkiye to a new dimension by elevating it among the leading countries in the space race."
"TÜRKSAT 7A contract to be signed before the end of the year"
Uraloğlu expressed that the South Asia expansion provided by the commissioning of TÜRKSAT 6A has also strengthened international collaborations in line with the company's growth momentum in the global broadcasting market. He reminded that they signed a strategic partnership agreement between Türksat and the Qatar-based satellite company Es'hailSat for the Es'hail-3/Türksat-Biruni satellite, and under the agreement, they will jointly use the capacity of the high-data-capacity Ka-Band Es'hail-3/Türksat-Biruni satellite that will serve in the 50 degrees East orbit. Explaining that they will further elevate their strong position among global satellite operators with TÜRKSAT 7A, Uraloğlu reported that the TÜRKSAT 7A project initiated due to the approaching end of the design life of the TÜRKSAT 3A satellite operating in the 42 degrees East orbit. Stating that they will share the specifications they have prepared with domestic satellite manufacturers in the coming days, Uraloğlu made the assessment, "We aim to sign the contract for the project before the end of this year. Our satellite, which we plan to put into service by the end of 2029, will be the carrier of Türkiye's digital future vision with its higher data capacity, stronger coverage area, and flexible resource management capability."
"We are establishing data sovereignty on our own soil"
Stating that they have added a brand new masterpiece upon this strong legacy of Türksat with the Türksat Gölbaşı Data Center, Uraloğlu said:
"We are building one of the strongest fortresses of the national digital independence, cyber resilience, and technological sovereignty of Türkiye, which has conquered the skies with satellite technologies. We are establishing data sovereignty on our own soil. This center of ours is not just a reinforced concrete structure, but Türkiye's new digital fortress. Our Data Center will feature 6 system halls, 2 high-performance rooms with 20 cabinets each, and 6,300 square meters of white space, as well as an office workspace with a capacity of 200 people. When completed, it will be one of Türkiye's largest data centers with a giant area of 35,300 square meters. It will increase the physical capacity of Türksat's current data center by 3 times in the first phase and by over 8 times in the second phase. Our center, which will have an installed power capacity of 33 megavolt-amperes, will be built as an eco-friendly facility with low carbon emissions, compliant with the LEED-Gold certification in energy efficiency."
"We plan to put the Gölbaşı Data Center into service at the beginning of 2028"
Pointing out that the center will also meet the data and cloud service needs of institutions hosting critical information using domestic software, Uraloğlu said, "It will take on the load of our entire public digital infrastructure, especially the e-Government Gateway, under a single roof with the highest security and efficiency. It will provide uninterrupted and secure service even in extraordinary situations." Expressing that Türkiye will also become a regional data hub thanks to the project, Uraloğlu noted that neighboring countries and the Turkic Republics will also be able to securely host their data at this center. Uraloğlu stated that they plan to complete the construction works in a short period of approximately 1.5 years and put the Gölbaşı Data Center into service at the beginning of 2028.
Chairman of the Board Arman: "We Are Strengthening Türkiye's Digital Sovereignty"
In his speech at the ceremony, Türksat Chairman of the Board Mücahit Arman emphasized that a historic turning point is being passed in Türkiye's digital transformation journey. Stating that they are resolutely continuing their efforts to strengthen the country's digital infrastructure, from communication satellites in space to fiber infrastructure, and from the e-Government Gateway to critical public IT projects, Arman said, "Today, in addition to the e-Government Gateway, which offers more than 9,000 public services from a single point to approximately 70 million of our citizens; we are making public services more secure, faster, and more efficient by implementing many strategic projects such as the Türkiye National Geographic Information System, Smart Transportation System, and Belgenet." Pointing out that as digitalization accelerates, protecting the generated data securely, uninterruptedly, and within the country's borders has become a strategic necessity, Arman said that the Gölbaşı Data Center, whose foundation was laid, was designed to precisely meet this need. Sharing details about the physical and technical capacity of the facility, Arman continued his words as follows:
"When this facility, which will be one of the largest data centers in our country with its 35,300 square meter campus and 6,300 square meters of white space, is completed, we will increase our current capacity by 8 times. While the data of our public institutions and critical infrastructures are protected at international standards, data center and cloud services will be provided under a single roof with the assurance of Türksat."
Expressing that there will be no need for institutions to establish separate data centers, make duplicate hardware investments, and endure high operating costs, Arman underlined that the project will make a great contribution to the effective use of public resources and savings.
Stating that the first phase of the facility is planned to be put into service in the first quarter of 2028, Arman used the following expressions: "Our center, which will have the LEED Gold energy efficiency certificate, will offer high availability, uninterrupted service, and environmental sustainability all together in accordance with the Uptime Institute Tier 3 and EN 50600 standards. Thanks to our high-processing-capacity infrastructure, artificial intelligence applications, big data analytics, and critical public systems will be securely supported. Thus, we will have brought a scalable technological infrastructure to our country that not only meets the needs of today but will also carry the digital ecosystem of the future."
Following the speeches, the foundation of the Türksat Gölbaşı Data Center was laid with the participation of the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and the guests.
