Updated
Updated · Global Times · Sep 13
China's Computing Capacity Share Seen Reaching 30% by 2030 as AI Token Demand Surges
Updated
Updated · Global Times · Sep 13

China's Computing Capacity Share Seen Reaching 30% by 2030 as AI Token Demand Surges

3 articles · Updated · Global Times · Sep 13

Summary

  • China is projected to lift its share of global computing capacity to 30% by 2030 from 21% now, while the US currently holds 46%, Chinese engineering academician Wu Hequan said at a weekend industry forum.
  • 100 quadrillion tokens are forecast to be consumed annually in China in 2026, rising past 35 quintillion by 2030, as AI demand shifts from training large models toward mass deployment and commercialization of intelligent agents.
  • Inference is expected to make up 80% of China's computing power market by 2029, with researchers saying overall demand could grow nearly tenfold annually over the next two to three years.
  • 177% year-on-year growth in intelligent computing capacity by end-June, plus a three-tier low-latency network taking shape, were cited as signs that China has built a stronger national computing foundation.
  • The 2026-30 five-year plan lists a nationwide computing power network among six priority networks, aiming to link scattered computing centers into a more efficient, nationally schedulable system.

Insights

Will China's RMB 4 trillion gamble on a national computing grid revolutionize AI, or create the world's largest infrastructure bubble by 2030?
How will the massive energy requirements for China's ambitious 30 percent global compute share be met without triggering an ecological crisis?
As AI inference demands explode, can a centralized national network truly make computing power as cheap and accessible as tap water?