China Archives | Digital Watch Observatory

China links AI data centre to direct green electricity supply

China has launched what state media described as the country’s first AI data centre powered entirely through a direct green electricity connection, linking AI infrastructure more closely with renewable energy supply.

The facility has started operations in Zhongwei, in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a western region that has become central to China’s computing and clean-energy strategy.

Operated by China Telecom Ningxia Branch, the data centre is built to a wind-powered liquid-cooling standard. According to the company, the facility achieves a Power Usage Effectiveness rating of 1.15, supporting high-performance AI computing while reducing energy use compared with conventional data centres.

The project is part of China’s wider effort to connect computing capacity with renewable energy resources. Ningxia has already hosted large-scale projects that directly supply green electricity to data centre clusters, including a 500 MW solar facility in Zhongwei linked to China’s computing-electricity coordination model.

Zhongwei is also a key node in China’s ‘Eastern Data, Western Computing’ initiative, which aims to shift data-intensive workloads from eastern economic centres to western regions with more land and renewable-energy resources.

The new facility is expected to support AI computing, data processing and industrial digital transformation. It could also increase demand for servers, AI chips, liquid-cooling equipment and other parts of China’s domestic technology supply chain.

The project highlights how energy availability and efficiency are becoming central to AI infrastructure policy, as countries and companies face rising power demand from data centres and advanced AI systems.

Why does it matter?

AI infrastructure is becoming an energy-policy issue. China’s green-powered data centre model shows how governments may try to match growing AI compute demand with renewable-energy deployment, regional data-centre planning and industrial supply-chain development. For China, the project also supports a broader strategy of moving compute workloads westward, reducing pressure on eastern cities and using renewable resources in regions such as Ningxia. The challenge will be proving that such facilities can deliver reliable AI computing at scale while genuinely reducing emissions across the full power and data-centre system.

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China’s latest supercomputer strengthens AI ambitions

China has regained the world’s leading position in supercomputing after the LineShine system became the fastest computer in the latest TOP500 ranking, replacing the US’s El Capitan at the top of the list.

The achievement marks China’s return to first place for the first time since 2017 and highlights the growing strategic importance of high-performance computing in the AI era.

Unlike many recent AI-focused supercomputers that rely heavily on graphics processing units (GPUs), LineShine achieves exascale performance using conventional central processing units (CPUs).

Beyond topping benchmark rankings, the system is expected to support scientific research, advanced simulations, climate modelling, pharmaceutical development and the training of increasingly sophisticated AI models.

The announcement also reflects the broader ambition of China to strengthen technological leadership while presenting its innovation ecosystem as a contributor to global technological development.

Europe also remains a major player in high-performance computing. Four European systems rank among the world’s ten fastest supercomputers, while the EU continues to invest in AI factories, next-generation supercomputing infrastructure and collaborative research centres.

The growing investment in supercomputers reflects how computing infrastructure is increasingly being treated as a strategic asset alongside semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and advanced data centres.

As governments increasingly link AI capabilities with economic competitiveness, scientific leadership and national security, access to world-class computing resources is becoming one of the defining factors shaping the global technology balance.

Why does it matter?

The latest TOP500 ranking underline that computing capacity is becoming a defining factor in AI development and scientific competitiveness. As frontier AI models require ever-greater computational resources for training and inference, access to world-class supercomputers is emerging as a strategic advantage alongside semiconductor manufacturing and cloud infrastructure.

China’s return to the top of the rankings also highlights the geopolitical dimension of high-performance computing. At the same time, continued European investment in AI factories and supercomputing infrastructure reflects a broader effort to strengthen technological sovereignty and reduce dependence on external computing resources as countries compete for leadership in AI and advanced research.

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China pushes AI and biomedicine as strategic growth sectors

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong has called for stronger development of the biomedicine sector and brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies, describing them as strategic industries that will support the Healthy China initiative and China’s future industrial development.

During a visit to Jiangsu Province, Liu called for greater use of AI, big data, and other digital technologies in pharmaceutical research and development to boost innovation and accelerate high-quality growth in the biomedicine sector.

Liu also described brain-computer interfaces as a frontier technology and a strategic area of international competition. Liu called for stronger interdisciplinary collaboration, expanded brain science research, faster breakthroughs in core technologies, and greater original innovation capacity.

The remarks reinforce China’s broader strategy of promoting AI-enabled innovation and emerging technologies to strengthen industrial competitiveness and modernise its healthcare sector.

Why does it matter?

China’s emphasis on AI-powered biomedicine and brain-computer interfaces reflects its strategy of combining healthcare innovation with industrial policy. By encouraging the use of AI in drug discovery while investing in frontier technologies such as BCIs, Beijing is seeking to strengthen domestic innovation and compete in sectors expected to play an important role in future economic growth.

The remarks also underscore the growing geopolitical significance of advanced health technologies. As countries invest in AI, biotechnology and neurotechnology, these fields are increasingly viewed not only as drivers of scientific progress but also as strategic capabilities linked to economic competitiveness, technological sovereignty and national resilience.

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China pledges continued role in global AI governance

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has said China will continue to participate in global governance on AI responsibly and constructively.

Li made the remarks during the opening plenary of the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, in Dalian.

According to the Chinese government’s account of the speech, Li said China would work with other parties to strengthen institutional frameworks and rules, improve regulatory effectiveness and address potential AI risks.

He said AI has significantly improved innovation efficiency, but warned that risks linked to technological loss of control and ethical failures are becoming more pronounced.

Li said governance needs to keep pace with AI development, warning that the consequences could be severe if regulatory systems fail to keep to with the pace of technological change.

The remarks underline China’s continued effort to position itself as a participant in international AI governance debates, while also linking AI regulation to broader questions of innovation, economic development and global cooperation.

Why does it matter?

Li’s remarks show that AI governance remains part of China’s wider diplomatic and economic positioning. As frontier AI advances, governments are treating safety, ethics and regulatory coordination as strategic issues alongside competition over models, compute and industrial capacity. The speech does not introduce a new Chinese AI policy, but it reinforces Beijing’s message that global AI governance should involve international coordination rather than being shaped only by a few countries or companies.

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China reports a surge in AI adoption and large language model use

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said China’s AI sector has experienced ‘explosive growth’, citing significant performance improvements across multiple Chinese large language models.

Speaking at the opening plenary of the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, Li said daily token consumption across Chinese large language models had exceeded 100 trillion by the end of May, placing China among the world’s leading AI markets by usage.

Li also pointed to advances in embodied AI, saying the technology is beginning to move towards large-scale commercial deployment. The remarks came at the forum commonly known as Summer Davos, an annual gathering held in China focused on global economic and technological trends.

Li did not announce new policy measures or provide additional supporting data. His remarks nevertheless reinforce China’s broader narrative of rapid progress in AI model development and commercial deployment.

Why does it matter?

China’s remarks underscore the growing importance of AI as a strategic driver of economic competitiveness and technological leadership. Claims of daily token consumption exceeding 100 trillion suggest that large language models are being deployed at a significant scale, although the figures were presented by the Chinese government and were not independently verified.

The announcement also reflects intensifying global competition in AI. By highlighting advances in foundation models and embodied AI at a high-profile international forum, China is signalling its ambition to compete with other leading AI economies while showcasing progress in both AI research and commercial applications.

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Beijing publishing forum calls for AI copyright standards

Publishing leaders and professionals have called for clearer copyright rules and industry standards for the use of AI in publishing, following discussions at the 2026 International Publishing Forum in Beijing.

The forum, held during the Beijing International Book Fair, brought together nearly 300 publishing executives and professionals from 26 countries and regions. It was jointly organised by the Publishers Association of China and the International Publishers Association.

Participants discussed how AI is reshaping publishing workflows, content production and distribution. They said AI should support, rather than replace, human creativity, with human-machine collaboration helping publishers improve efficiency and expand access to high-quality content.

Speakers also warned that the industry must protect intellectual property, preserve the authenticity and credibility of content, and support linguistic diversity as AI-generated material becomes more widely used.

Participants called for international cooperation on standards and copyright frameworks for AI applications in publishing. They said such rules should define rights and responsibilities, support fair compensation and ensure source traceability.

The discussions reflect growing concern in the publishing sector over how AI systems use copyrighted works, how original creators are recognised, and how publishers can maintain trust in content as synthetic media and automated production tools spread.

Why does it matter?

The forum highlights a central concern for creative industries: AI can improve publishing workflows and content distribution, but it also raises unresolved questions about copyright, attribution, compensation and authenticity. For publishers and authors, clear standards on source traceability and rights could become essential as AI-generated or AI-assisted content becomes more common.

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China expands AI adoption across consumer economy

China’s Ministry of Commerce and seven other government departments have issued guidelines to accelerate the integration of AI into consumer markets.

The implementation document sets out 17 measures in five areas under an ‘AI plus consumption’ strategy. It aims to expand smart product consumption, support AI-enabled services and create new consumer scenarios.

For goods consumption, the guidelines call for a wider supply of AI products, upgrades to consumer electronics, household appliances and home products, and the development of smart wearable devices. They also promote AI-powered robots for elderly care, companionship and daily assistance.

For services, the measures encourage the use of AI in home services, elderly care, tourism, accommodation, catering and education. Examples include smart elderly-care facilities, AI-enabled tourism services and smart canteens in offices, schools and hospitals.

The guidelines also call for faster development of smart retail, deeper integration of AI with e-commerce and improved smart logistics networks at county, township and village levels. Authorities also want to expand delivery coverage in remote areas.

China will support ‘AI plus consumption’ clusters and AI experience centres, while encouraging rental, sharing and trial use of AI products in public venues. Local authorities are also encouraged to introduce subsidies for next-generation smart terminals and other AI-related consumer products under existing consumer goods trade-in policies.

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China sets AI integration targets for communications networks

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released a three-year plan to accelerate the integration of AI with the country’s information and communications sector.

The implementation guideline, covering 2026 to 2028, sets targets for more autonomous networks, wider low-latency access to computing power and expanded AI applications. By 2028, China aims for information and communications networks to reach an initial stage of high-level autonomous intelligence.

The plan also calls for more than 30 high-value use cases, specialised intelligent agents and at least 75% coverage of one-millisecond-latency access to computing power in metropolitan areas.

MIIT identified several research priorities, including AI-driven network architectures, collaboration between large and small AI models, multi-agent systems and intelligent agent communications. It also calls for faster construction of major computing power channels and improved network resource scheduling.

Looking beyond the three years, China aims to make significant breakthroughs in core technologies for integrating AI with information and communications networks by 2030. The ministry said the longer-term goal is to strengthen integrated sensing, communications, computing and intelligence capabilities, while building a broader collaborative innovation and industrial ecosystem.

Why does it matter?

The plan shows China treating AI as part of the core architecture of future communications networks, not only as an application layer. The targets link AI, telecommunications, computing power and sensing infrastructure, which could shape how autonomous networks, industrial AI, smart cities and future digital services are deployed. It also reflects China’s broader push to align AI development with national digital infrastructure and industrial upgrading.

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China launches a major 6G pilot programme to accelerate future connectivity

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has launched a ministry-provincial collaborative pilot programme to advance 6G innovation and development.

The initiative is designed to support future commercial deployment of next-generation communications technologies and strengthen the country’s 6G industrial ecosystem.

The programme focuses on advancing frontier 6G technologies and deepening the integration of communications networks with AI, satellite internet, and wireless sensing. It will also accelerate research and development of 6G base stations, core network equipment, terminals, chips, and operating systems.

Pilot regions will test practical applications tailored to local economic priorities. Planned use cases include immersive communications, industrial manufacturing, embodied intelligence, low-altitude economic activities, and smart maritime operations.

The initiative follows China’s recent approval of trial spectrum in the 6 GHz band for 6G technology testing in selected regions. That approval was granted to the IMT-2030 (6G) promotion group to support 6G technology trials and validation.

China currently operates the world’s largest 5G network and is seeking to build on that infrastructure base as global competition shifts towards 6G. Authorities say future 6G networks could deliver major improvements in speed, reliability, latency, and connectivity across terrestrial, aerial, maritime, and space-based networks.

Why does it matter?

The pilot programme shows how China is moving from 6G research towards coordinated industrial testing and local application scenarios. By linking 6G with AI, satellite internet, wireless sensing, chips, operating systems, embodied intelligence, and the low-altitude economy, China is treating next-generation connectivity as part of a wider industrial and strategic technology agenda.

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China widens access to value-added telecom services for foreign companies

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has approved 166 foreign-invested enterprises to participate in pilot programmes for value-added telecommunications services since the first approvals were issued in February 2025, according to Xinhua.

The approved companies are authorised to provide services across China, including internet data centre operations, internet access services and information services. The move forms part of broader efforts to expand access to the country’s telecommunications market.

The ministry said the reforms align with international trade and investment rules while building on existing policy frameworks, including China’s commitments under the World Trade Organization and regulations governing free-trade zones. Under the pilot measures, foreign ownership restrictions have been lifted for selected categories of value-added telecommunications services.

More than 3,100 foreign-invested telecommunications enterprises are currently operating in China, and authorities said additional measures are planned to encourage further participation in the sector. Pilot reforms are currently being implemented in Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan and Shenzhen.

Why does it matter?

China’s telecommunications sector has historically maintained restrictions on foreign participation, particularly in value-added services. Expanding pilot programmes and easing ownership limits could increase opportunities for international companies seeking access to one of the world’s largest digital markets.

The reforms also signal China’s broader efforts to attract foreign investment and align aspects of its telecommunications framework with international trade commitments, while testing market-opening measures in selected regions before potential wider implementation.

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