The Future of Data Centers
Press Bulletin / November 2025
Moderator: Hayati Küçük, Chairman of the Board, Argeplano
Ali İhsan Güner, CTO, Serban
Buğrahan Şirin, Partner, HPP International Turkey
Mehmet Sami Kılıç, General Manager, Turner International
Prof. Dr. Zeynep Işık, Faculty Member, Yıldız Technical University, Department of Civil Engineering
Hayati Küçük
At recent international events we attended, we have observed that with the development of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies, data centers have become one of the top investment areas in real estate. I would like us to discuss how real estate development and data center operations overlap to create value.
Let me start by introducing myself. I am an architect and civil engineer. I am the chairman of Argeplano Project Process Management. We develop projects across various sectors including real estate, construction, tourism, logistics, industrial facilities, data centers, and information technologies. We manage activities from planning to ready-to-operate opening processes, including feasibility studies, project design, tender management, site management, and operational setup. Additionally, within GYODER, we work to develop value-added projects by combining business dynamics with an academic and scientific perspective.
Mehmet Sami Kılıç
I am the Vice President responsible for Europe at Turner International. I oversee the Istanbul and London offices, providing project management services in both countries. I have been with the company for approximately 19 years, starting in the U.S., and later working in Belgrade, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Currently, I manage both the general manager role in Turkey and oversee Europe. Fundamentally, we provide project management services. In previous years, we managed large-scale projects such as the Istanbul Finance Center, Atatürk Airport, and Türkiye İş Bank Towers. Currently, we are working on Şişecam’s Tarsus facility, which will be one of the world’s largest factories. Additionally, I serve as Vice President of the Green Buildings Association.
Zeynep Işık
I am a faculty member at Yıldız Technical University, Department of Civil Engineering. I have been working in construction, project, and construction management for approximately 20 years. I currently lead the building management program at the university. We focus on various, inclusive topics such as digitalization, sustainability, energy management, facility management, and strategic planning. I have participated in over 40 projects to date, and my work continues. I also have extensive administrative experience at the university, including coordinating the Technology Transfer Office at Yıldız Teknopark, serving on the Teknopark Board, vice rector, and director of the Institute of Science. During my tenure at the Teknopark, I contributed to establishing both national and international projects, including the creation of a Silicon Valley-style incubation center, supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.
Buğrahan Şirin
At HPP Architects, I represent the architectural and project design branch. HPP, based in Germany, has a 95-year history, completing projects in various typologies including data and computing centers. I have been managing the Turkey office for approximately 12 years, working on large-scale projects in Istanbul and continuing to do so.
Ali İhsan Güner
I am the CTO of Serban, which provides end-to-end solutions for data centers. I am responsible for the technical aspects of our data center projects. Under Açık Holding, Serban’s operations are heavily focused on data centers. In Turkey, we have completed 12 modules and are currently working with both domestic and international investors on projects in İzmir and Ankara. We also have ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and we are starting a new one in Switzerland. We develop lands for data centers, managing design and construction, and obtaining all necessary permits.
Unlike regular buildings, data centers must be delivered to the client fully operational. You could compare them to cars—they must work flawlessly. Unlike cars, or perhaps more like submarines, all systems are redundant. If one fails, its backup supports it. This redundancy allows maintenance while the center is operating, as data centers cannot stop. Unlike normal construction, testing and commissioning must be integrated from the start. You cannot rely on externally sourced, separate components; everything must be implemented in-house. Other Açık Holding companies, such as Mikrolink, contribute to data center planning and design. Additionally, as a company focused on this sector, we provide turnkey solutions across cooling systems, electronic systems, leak detection, and energy management.
Hayati Küçük
Mehmet Sami, let’s start with you. Could you give us a snapshot of the global sector today, based on your experience as a construction management company… How did we get here?
Mehmet Sami Kılıç
In the U.S., about 50% of our portfolio used to consist of office buildings. With the decline in the office market during the pandemic, we have seen that data centers now account for up to 40% of our revenues, particularly due to demand from central regions like Ohio and Kansas City, where land and energy costs are lower. This demand emerged from the global digitalization trend, and naturally, project developers see this as a good investment.
In Turkey, we are starting to see similar demand. With a population nearing 90 million, high mobile usage, internet penetration, e-commerce, fintech, gaming, and cloud service growth, the sector is expanding. Regulations like KVKK, related to data localization, also guide investors. Additionally, Turkey’s strategic location between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East enables low-latency access to a broad area. According to our research, after Poland, Turkey is the most suitable country for investment in this region, considering climate, construction costs, and available engineering workforce. About half of the proposals we receive relate to data centers, which signals a strong push for developers to move in this direction.
Foreign investors have specific criteria. First, energy and water must be locally available. After finding a suitable site based on these two factors, they approach us as project managers. They prefer to work through us rather than establishing local teams, mainly due to economic uncertainties since 2019. It is not difficult to find contractors, but long-term contracts are avoided due to cost concerns. With imported equipment and construction materials, convincing contractors can be challenging.
Hayati Küçük
Looking at the global picture, can you summarize the interest of foreign investors in Turkey’s data center sector?
Ali İhsan Güner
Investors coming to Turkey are not aiming to store data locally for global use. Currently, Turkey lacks over 500 megawatts in internal capacity, and this could grow to gigawatts with sector expansion. Globally, data center density often correlates with submarine data cable routes. In our region, cables come from China and India, pass through Israel, Cyprus, and Greece, and only a small portion crosses Turkey. To increase investments, Turkey must expand its submarine cable network and become a key part of international infrastructure.
Secondly, data security is crucial for foreign investors. Any data stored in Turkey must be guaranteed to remain untouched. Some projects are built to keep data within Turkey, which is fine. But when foreign data is stored here, the same assurance must be provided. Another advantage for Turkey is its growing energy capacity. For example, Saudi Arabia faces energy constraints, while Turkey soon will have a nuclear plant providing continuous power, critical for AI data centers.
When evaluating a project, zoning and energy proximity are primary concerns. Data centers require special permissions because commercial building heights are normally 4.5 meters, while industrial facilities exceed 7 meters. Therefore, industrial-zoned sites are preferred. Energy availability is another key factor. Once these conditions are met, other aspects like soil, seismicity, and climate are considered. Ankara is ideal because approximately 61–62% “free cooling” is possible, meaning part of the energy used for cooling can come from outside air rather than electricity. Other cities may have better cooling potential but lack qualified personnel, which explains why Ankara is favored. Data centers are critical infrastructures, expected to operate fully even after potential earthquakes.
Hayati Küçük
From a real estate perspective, data centers resemble industrial buildings but with complex electromechanical and technological systems. Academically, how is this sector being approached?
Zeynep Işık
The first examples of this building type appeared in the U.S. and Europe about ten years ago, but academia took time to catch up. Retrospectively, data centers are often described as the digital warehouses of the modern economy. Just as ports, airports, and logistics centers handled physical goods, data centers handle processing, storage, and secure circulation of data. From an academic perspective, the focus extends beyond technical infrastructure to strategic and sustainability aspects. Studies examine energy access, regulations, and climatic conditions. Decarbonization and waste heat utilization are major research topics. Investment forecasting is also key, determining how much capacity a country needs. If considered as real estate investments, market analyses and digitalization trends should be incorporated into feasibility and investment decisions.
Hayati Küçük
From an architectural perspective, can you outline the design process from concept to multidisciplinary engineering integration?
Buğrahan Şirin
The investment decision is made, a site is selected, and the project management team takes over, followed by the design tender. We intervene before site construction starts.
Data center typology is still emerging. Initially, they were small rooms added to existing corporate headquarters to store servers. Over time, with increasing data and the rise of the internet, standalone buildings appeared, especially in financial hubs like Frankfurt. Architecturally, focus shifts from human comfort to machine comfort and operational efficiency. Cable routing, energy systems, and infrastructure are highly integrated. Design inputs are primarily technical, with aesthetic concerns secondary. Project planning is more compact and structured due to professional investor briefs, allowing a faster implementation phase.
Hayati Küçük
When evaluating a potential data center investment, we first assess its sector position, target customers, and location. Locational studies, compliance with international standards, and redundancy requirements are critical. From a real estate lens, a 100,000 m² plot may yield a 70,000 m² facility with basement plus two floors, but technically, it is a complex organism with interconnected systems. Renovation readiness must be considered due to rapid technological evolution.
Mehmet Sami Kılıç
Regarding construction standards, unusual precautions are necessary. For example, in one project, we had to ensure that a neighboring factory producing explosives did not impact the center. Data center construction is not like a hotel or office; every step must be precise. Temporary acceptance does not exist; every element must function like a Swiss watch. Local contractors often lack experience, causing 30–40% cost variation between bids. Delays incur heavy penalties. Every detail, even a pipe defect, can lead to material rejection.
Ali İhsan Güner
Data centers are categorized by standards such as Uptime or EN, determining redundancy and maintenance capabilities. Hyperscale centers have their own standards, not yet present in Turkey. U.S.-based standards specify location, safety, and operational rules. Market leaders like Amazon, Azure, Google, Alibaba, and Oracle follow their own protocols, though none yet operate in Turkey.
Hayati Küçük
Globally, there are 7,500+ data centers, 72 in Turkey, with 25–30 large-scale facilities. Worldwide, single-center investments are clustering in industrial or logistics zones due to energy and infrastructure costs. In Turkey, centers cluster in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Advantages include infrastructure readiness; disadvantages may include locational rigidity.
Ali İhsan Güner
Ankara-Temelli hosts about 300 MW of planned investment due to OSB status, low energy costs, and transportation. Quick operational readiness is more critical than land cost. Without incentives, payback is 7–8 years; with incentives, 4–5 years. In short, “The best data center is the fastest completed.”
Buğrahan Şirin
In Europe, abandoned heavy industry sites provide high-energy infrastructure, suitable for large modular data centers. Brownfield conditions must be considered.
Hayati Küçük
Regarding human resources, are there any university programs in data center management?
Zeynep Işık
No dedicated programs exist, but the sector requires multidisciplinary expertise—engineering, IT, cybersecurity. Certification programs may emerge in the future. Data centers require coordinated, cross-disciplinary professional teams.
Mehmet Sami Kılıç
In U.S. projects, team sizes grow to 30–100 specialists. Financing often leverages local incentives. Turkey has similar incentives, such as VAT exemptions and customs duty waivers. Currency volatility is a risk affecting energy prices and investor confidence.
Hayati Küçük
At recent international events like Platform Global in France, foreign investors asked whether Turkey has sufficient energy infrastructure. Government support, regulations, and skilled workforce are critical for attracting investments. Networking and showcasing capabilities globally are also essential.
Buğrahan Şirin
Digital twin modeling (BIM) is increasingly mandatory. As-built models are used for maintenance and real-time monitoring.
Ali İhsan Güner
BIM is essential. For example, fitting 60 kVA into a 30,000 m² data center requires detailed 3D modeling, impossible without BIM. Construction quality and skilled workforce are crucial; costs are higher in Turkey than Europe or the Gulf. Knowledge accumulation is key for global competitiveness.
Buğrahan Şirin
Environmental impacts are important: noise, energy consumption, and proximity to residential areas must be managed.
Zeynep Işık
Data centers must be treated as the digital warehouses of the modern economy. Strategic investments, energy integration, and sustainability are essential. Correct planning can turn them into high-value real estate assets.
Mehmet Sami Kılıç
Legally and operationally, data centers are not easy investments. One-day delays have heavy consequences. The sector requires careful analysis and attracting investors with strong incentives and infrastructure. Turkey has strong potential due to strategic location, digitalization trends, and government support.
Hayati Küçük
Thank you all for your participation. For our country to increase its global presence, we must focus on high-value, low-footprint projects. Data centers can catalyze this goal. We have companies, academics, and professionals capable of developing valuable projects. Public sector support, infrastructure, energy, and investment incentives, combined with professional networks, will allow us to implement these projects efficiently. Our individual experiences should be organized collectively to maximize impact. I foresee this topic gaining momentum in the near future. I hope today’s meeting will be the first step toward broader, more detailed, and inclusive discussions in the business community.
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