Dubai-based Khazna Data Centers is entering the Turkish market with plans to build a 100 MW AI-ready data center in the Başkent Organized Industrial Zone in Ankara, according to a company statement. The facility will support AI, cloud, and other high-density computing workloads, and more Khazna investments in Turkey will follow.

We saw this coming: CEO Hassan Al Naqbi said last October that Khazna was pursuing regional expansion, with ongoing projects in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and potential entries into Turkey and Southeast Asia.

The timeline: The Ankara facility will be built in phases, beginning with a cloud-focused design to be scaled up. Khazna plans to appoint a general contractor in 2Q 2025. The project will include solar panels, low-GWP refrigerants, wastewater reuse systems, and generators compatible with HVO fuel.

Why Turkey… and why now? Turkey has seen a 198% increase in AI talent concentration since 2016, according to Stanford’s 2025 AI Index. The project also follows more than USD 50 bn in UAE-Turkey strategic agreements signed in 2023 covering energy and technology cooperation.

Khazna’s not alone: UAE-based Damac’s data center arm Edgnex and Vodafone Turkey are jointly developing a USD 100 mn, 6 MW facility in Izmir which is due online this year.

Meanwhile, back home: Khazna is expanding its UAE footprint with two new 30 MW data centers — AUH4 in Mafraq and AUH8 in Masdar City — set to come online by 2H 2026. Its 100 MW QAJ1 Ajman facility is also expected to be completed in December 2026. All three are designed for AI workloads and will include liquid cooling and automated energy systems.

What’s next: The company is advancing construction in Saudi Arabia, where it aims to capture 25% of the local market, and is finalizing a location for a USD 250 mn data center in Egypt, due by 2026. Development is also underway in Kenya. Khazna is backed by a USD 5.5 bn valuation following a shareholder reshuffle involving MGX and Silver Lake.

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