Turkish defense firm HAVELSAN unveils domestic AI platform

By Seda Tolmac and Mehmet Can Toptas

Turkish defense firm HAVELSAN's domestically developed artificial intelligence (AI) platform MAIN was introduced Thursday during the Artificial Intelligence Conference hosted at the company's technology campus.

MAIN is a Turkish-language artificial intelligence platform, HAVELSAN Business Development Director Arif Furkan Mendi said at the conference.

Mendi stressed that preserving the security of institutional data is their primary purpose.

"By introducing our own artificial intelligence assistant, we will prevent data from leaking out," he said.

"With our unique architecture, we compiled open-source data to create our own model. We have no dependency on external software or products. We provide a completely secure environment with our own data.”

He further explained that they have built an infrastructure that institutions may utilize with the platform, highlighting that it is not an open platform for end-users but rather a product designed for corporate use. However, he also noted that this is only the beginning and that other firms or entrepreneurs can take their product and bring it to new markets.

-‘We started with a small crew, and we are continuing to progress by expanding’

Berkan Demirel, Group Leader of HAVELSAN Artificial Intelligence Technologies, expressed pride in the platform's development team, saying there is increasing demand for productive artificial intelligence technologies, particularly in the public and military sectors in Türkiye and around the world.

"At this point, we believe that the public and the military also need to benefit from such technology," said Demirel, noting that people often engage in information exchange in this field.

Demirel also shared his insights from the initial meeting on the process.

"When we presented the introduction of this R&D project, normally a vote would be taken to decide whether or not to proceed with the project. But instead, they demonstrated a strong vision and determination by saying, ‘This matter is critical and it must be completed.’ We started with a small crew, and we are continuing to progress by expanding."

-‘MAIN Academy will be launched within this year’

Omer Ozkan, Deputy General Manager of HAVELSAN Information and Communication Technologies, revealed that the company will also launch two platform-related projects.

Ozkan announced that the institution's hackathon event, the second edition of the HAVELSAN Express, will take place in the last week of April.

"We organized the first hackathon in 2022. We traveled from Ankara to Siirt-Kurtalan with the Kurtalan Express. There we held a competition for final-year university students. This year, we will travel from Ankara to Ahlat, opening the doors of Anatolia to develop projects for the MAIN platform. We are planning programs with universities along this route, expanding our collaboration with them. We also contribute to employment by hiring students from the universities we visit."

Ozkan added that the MAIN Academy project will also be launched this year.

"We will create a space for students and professionals interested in artificial intelligence studies. In addition, we will give training sessions," he said.

-Platform will also be used to evaluate applications submitted to CIMER

Speaking to Anadolu after the program, Ozkan said the procedure began as an R&D project a year ago.

He emphasized that they have built infrastructure to address the specific demands of institutions.

"Our infrastructure will now be able to meet the needs of both military and public institutions as well as the private sector. It will safely process the data used in internal procedures within a closed network," he said.

Ozkan further said that the platform can be utilized to evaluate applications submitted to CIMER (Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye's Communications Center) in Presidency-affiliated institutions and in other departments of the Turkish Revenue Administration.

"Our primary goal in evaluating applications submitted to CIMER is to ensure timely and accurate transmission to the appropriate channel and prompt responses for citizens," he said.

Ozkan said that HAVELSAN has been working on digital transformation for 25 years by attaching the necessity of engagement with universities.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul