Chip factory to be built in Central Anatolian province
ISTANBUL
A new chip factory is set to be established in Türkiye’s central province of Sivas in July with an investment of approximately $400 million.
The facility will produce semiconductors and solar cells and is expected to begin full-scale mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Elin Energy, one of five companies receiving grants through the Industry and Technology Ministry’s HIT-30 High-Tech Incentive Program, is spearheading the project, which is expected to create 1,500 jobs.
Elin Energy President Arda Yalı said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency that the facility will have a production capacity of five gigawatts.
The project aims to meet Türkiye’s growing demand for semiconductors and solar cells, while also supporting export goals, particularly to the U.S.
Yalı explained that the Turkish market’s annual cell capacity needs can reach up to around six to seven gigawatts.
“We want to export most of the cells to be produced at the new chip factory and we’re implementing this investment to use two gigawatts in Türkiye and three gigawatts to be sent to the U.S.,” he said.
The reason why they chose Sivas is because the chip factory consumes a significant amount of water and the facility takes up 220 acres of space, he explained.
“Türkiye is still a solar cell importer but the factory we will establish will meet nearly 70 percent of the cell imports,” Yali said, adding that they will be announcing a technology partner soon that will further strengthen their competitive edge.
“Türkiye will no longer need to import solar cells within the next three to four years, and it will become an exporter of solar cells instead,” he added.
