Türkiye plans to make its ID and passport chips at home, targeting one million wafers a year
Anadolu Agency reported on September 13, 2026 that Türkiye aims to stand out in the global chip race with national projects and facilities producing the chips used in ID cards, passports and industry at home. The 2027-2029 Medium-Term Program lists semiconductors among strategic sectors; a 5 billion dollar HIT-Chip call targets at least one million wafers a year. Action plans are due by the end of 2026.
The domestic chip target for ID cards and passports rests on the Medium-Term Program
Anadolu Agency reported on September 13, 2026, in a story by correspondent Zeynep Duyar, that Türkiye aims to stand out in the global chip race with national projects and modern facilities that will produce the chips used in ID cards, passports and industrial applications at home; TRT Haber republished the AA report the same day, leading with the point that ID and passport chips will be made in Türkiye. The basis is the 2027-2029 Medium-Term Program (OVP), which, according to AA, sets increasing domestic R&D, production and innovation capacity in strategic sectors including semiconductors as a core goal, in order to strengthen technological independence and economic security. Chip production facilities appear under the program's Economic Security and Resilience heading as a step toward domestic capacity in critical technologies, and they are meant to develop R&D, design and commercialization capabilities alongside production. The report is based on information compiled by an AA correspondent; it names no official and contains no direct personal quote.
From 250 to 110 nanometers, a 5 billion dollar HIT-Chip call and one million wafers a year
Work currently runs through TÜBİTAK BİLGEM and the Semiconductor Technologies Research Laboratory (YİTAL); production capability stands at 250 nanometers, targeting 110 nanometers in the OVP period. HIT-30 High Technology Investment Program resources, launched by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, will also serve the chip push. The report separately mentions a HIT-Chip call with a 5 billion dollar support budget, meant to create annual capacity of at least one million wafers at 65 nanometers or a more advanced node, with TÜBİTAK and other institutions providing incentives. On timing, action plans supporting domestic production are being prepared for supply security in manufacturing, energy, agriculture, health and transport; expected by the end of 2026, they go to the Presidency's Strategy and Budget Office and then to the Economic Coordination Board for a decision. According to AA, the plans will carry the chip sector's design and R&D competence into production as well. Institutionally, a publicly supported, multi-partner National Chip Consortium is planned, and the national processor projects ÇAKIL and ALP-EREN will build secure processor cores on open-source architectures.
Chips are treated as a permanent axis of industrial transformation, not a single investment item
The context is supply security. AA writes that chip supply, from electronic control units in cars to motor drivers in home appliances, from power supplies to sensors, from communications infrastructure to defense systems, is seen as "the fundamental element of production power, technological leadership and economic security". Türkiye plans to overcome recent global supply problems by strengthening its existing design and production capabilities. That is why the chip agenda is to be handled not as a standalone investment item but as a permanent axis of industrial and technological transformation, with capacity built from skilled human resources to test and standards infrastructure, from university research to industry cooperation networks. The consortium plan likewise aims to grow the chip ecosystem step by step and end Turkish industry's foreign dependency for critical chips. Note the limits: the report does not say where the facilities will be built, when they open, who the consortium partners are, where ID and passport chips come from today, or when the OVP was published, and there is no comparison with other countries.
What it means for businesses in Türkiye: supply chain, an incentive door and a 2027 timeline
No boundary to draw this time: this is a Turkish industrial policy story from start to finish. First, research will look at expanding the use of domestic chips in automotive and home appliances, where the report says Türkiye is strong; for parts and module makers in those supply chains, the domestic component question is entering the agenda. Second, HIT-30 resources and the 5 billion dollar HIT-Chip call are an incentive door for companies able to invest in chip production. Third, the publicly supported, multi-partner National Chip Consortium plan is a potential partnership area for firms doing electronics design and R&D. Fourth, the timeline: action plans go to the Strategy and Budget Office by the end of 2026 and then to the Economic Coordination Board, so concrete support mechanisms will likely take shape in 2027. The report contains no SME-specific program, application calendar or regional information; wait for the official call texts before building expectations. The practical job today is to record which chips and components your products use, where they come from and what a domestic alternative would change.
The UNALSOFT view
Our reading: the chip story is an industrial policy story, but the part that touches every business is the tracking load. Program, call, consortium, action plans: the sources to follow keep multiplying, and for a small team, telling which call matters becomes a job in itself. That is why the order we recommend in our Agentic AI solutions work stays the same: first gather product, component and supplier information in a single accurate source, then set up an agent that follows and summarizes official calls and timelines. We do not know where the facility will be or who the partners are; we do know preparation starts with your own data.
Want to hand incentive-call and supply tracking to an agent?
Let's look together at how well your product and component data, official call tracking and team workflow fit this model. A short conversation is enough to start.