As AI use intensifies, data security is organizations' primary concern, Tencent Cloud CEO Dowson Tong said, while also noting the business world is heading toward an era of one-person companies
Next-generation artificial intelligence technology and applications were the focus of the 2026 Tencent Global Digital Ecosystem Summit held in Shenzhen, one of China's technology manufacturing hubs.
Dowson Tong, Tencent's senior executive vice president and CEO of its Cloud and Smart Industries Group, noted that data security is the top priority for enterprise customers.
To prevent data leaks, he said, Tencent offers on-premises deployment, namely running systems on the customer's own servers, virtual private clouds (VPC) and encrypted inference with cryptographic verification.
No dependence on single model
Tong also said businesses do not want to depend on a single model, and that WorkBuddy AI agent will continue to support multiple models.
Finally, it was stated that Hunyuan and WeChat's AI models will continue to develop under separate brands for different use cases, but that the company will share infrastructure and talent under a "One Tencent" approach.
Autonomous driving, robots
Tong made significant remarks on Tencent's global AI strategy, compute constraints, the commercialization of open-source models and international expansion plans.
"Our priority is not to replace competitors, but real user value and cost efficiency," Tong said, stressing that 2026 will see an explosion in AI and agent applications.
For Tencent, he said 2026 is extremely strong in model development, in agentic AI applications such as WorkBuddy, and in the explosion of token consumption.
Inside the company, the growth in token consumption is driven especially by WorkBuddy, Yuanbao and WeChat's Xiaohui AI agent, he noted.
Outside the company, Tong said they are also seeing intense demand from automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), autonomous driving companies and humanoid robotics companies.
Summing up Tencent's positioning in the AI market, Tong said their strategy has always been to bring technology to the masses, to businesses and to consumers.
"We aim not only to score high on benchmark tests, but to use AI to solve real-world problems, increase efficiency and deliver tangible value to users," he added.
Tencent watching Turkish mobile game startups
Türkiye has recently been on the radar of Chinese tech giants.
Tencent, a Chinese technology major specializing in cloud, gaming and financial technology (fintech), is investing in Türkiye-based gaming startups.
Rachel Xie, general manager of Tencent Cloud for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, said the company has invested in two mobile game startups in Türkiye in 2026. Xie noted that the company wants to bring its cloud and AI experience to the country in cooperation with telecom operators.
Having acquired the Turkish game startup Masomo through Miniclip in 2019, Tencent has shown that Türkiye is one of its focus markets by investing in Flow Games and Circle Games.
Xie said Türkiye is full of opportunities in mobile gaming, e-commerce and fintech. She noted that Tencent would be glad to offer its cloud and AI experience to Turkish entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in cooperation with telecom companies.
Cooperation with telecom companies
Xie said Tencent welcomes cooperation with companies such as Türk Telekom, which has invested significantly in Türkiye's gaming sector, and sees major potential in the Turkish market.
She stressed that Tencent holds a strong position in the telecom sector not only in China but internationally. Its solutions for operators, she explained, cover a wide range: helping operators that run private cloud infrastructure move to the public cloud as their needs require, application infrastructure, support for over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and the setup of "super apps." She added that Tencent shares the know-how drawn from WeChat's experience in China with operators.
SMEs: Pay as you go
Asked how fast e-commerce is growing in Türkiye and how entrepreneurs are seeking efficient AI tools, Xie said Tencent's AI solutions, such as WorkBuddy and CodeBuddy, are also available in the Turkish market for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Noting that SMEs weigh cost and efficiency together, she said Tencent offers this segment Lighthouse, an easy-to-use cloud infrastructure product, with flexible pricing including "pay as you go" and savings plan options.
She said programs for entrepreneurs and venture-backed companies are published on its website. And for those asking where to begin, she recommended Lighthouse.
Xie pointed to Indonesia as the leading success story in telecom. She said XL Smart, one of the country's top three operators, has moved more than a hundred of its applications to Tencent's infrastructure, and that AI tools have sped up the migration and lowered costs.
Xie added that similar collaborations exist in the Philippines, that Tencent is working with the French operator Orange on a super app project in Africa, and that a partnership begun last year with an operator in the Middle East continues.
Türkiye cements its place on global map with gaming startups
Türkiye, as a country, and Istanbul, as a city, have become important hubs for mobile game studios.
With three gaming startups that have passed a valuation of $1 billion to become unicorns, Türkiye is home to 13 game incubators, programs that nurture early-stage startups, 22 accelerator programs and two gaming clusters. As new exits keep coming, the gaming ecosystem continues to grow.
According to the "Gaming Snapshot for Türkiye" study by startups.watch, an Istanbul-based platform that tracks venture investments, 1,238 startups have been founded in Türkiye's gaming ecosystem to date. Of these, 751 remain active, 466 have shut down and 21 have been acquired.
According to startups.watch's 2026 first-half report, ventures in Türkiye raised a total of $172 million across 87 funding rounds in the first six months of the year, and gaming startups alone accounted for 65% of that volume.
In the same period, Türkiye-based gaming startups attracted $111 million across seven rounds. AI and fintech startups drew the most capital after gaming, while AI ranked first by number of rounds. In other words, gaming stands out with few but large rounds, and AI with many rounds.
Grand Games investment
According to startups.watch data, Grand Games received the largest gaming investment of the past 12 months, at $70 million. Good Job Games ranked second with $60 million, while TaleMonster and Cypher Games were the other standouts with $30 million each.
Balderton Capital, a London-based venture capital firm, led Grand Games' Series B round, with Bek Ventures, Laton Ventures and angel investor Mert Gür also participating.
Exits support investment
Startups.watch's exit data reveals Türkiye's real distinction on the global gaming map. According to the report, the two exits and secondary share sales, deals in which existing shareholders sell their stakes, that took place in the first half of 2026 totaled $520 million.
The largest deal in the Turkish gaming ecosystem to date remains the $1.8 billion sale of Peak Games. Dream Games' secondary share sale, at a valuation of roughly $1.3 billion, is also cited among the most important transactions in the sector's history. High-value sales by Rollic, Gram Games and Masomo round out the picture.
Türk Telekom's gaming strategy: Platform, brand, infrastructure investment
Reaching players directly through Playstore and GAMEON, the operator is also positioning itself alongside the sector through fiber infrastructure and startup programs.
Gaming is the most heavily funded area of Türkiye's startup ecosystem. According to a 2026 first-half report by startups.watch, an Istanbul-based platform that tracks venture investments, gaming startups accounted for 65% of total investment volume in Türkiye. In the same period, Türkiye-based gaming startups attracted $111 million across seven funding rounds.
Foreign and local venture capital funds account for most of these rounds, while telecom operators remain largely on the infrastructure and distribution side.
As the number of players in Türkiye grows rapidly, telecom operators are turning to this field, and Türk Telekom, the country's largest telecom operator, is entering the gaming market with a digital store, a dedicated tariff brand and infrastructure investments.
The company's most visible step in this area is Playstore, the digital gaming platform it has kept on its agenda for many years. Playstore operates as a store where the company, said to have made Türkiye's largest technology investment, delivers new titles to users.
Home internet customers can buy games with installments of up to 12 months added to their internet bill, while other players can pay by credit card or mobile payment.
GAMEON brand
Türk Telekom announced the GAMEON brand for gamers in 2022. The company shaped the service with Play Store-exclusive deals, partnerships with world-famous game brands, gamer-specific hardware and brand partnerships.
The two brands support each other. GAMEON individual home internet customers who sign up for an internet package of 35 megabits per second (Mbps) or faster earn a gift wallet code worth TL 50 each month, valid for games or in-game purchases on the Play Store. At the GameX 2022 fair, the company also appeared with GAMEON, Selfy, its youth brand, Muud, its digital music platform, and Play Store.