Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 4 hrs ago
China expects computing power use to reach 800 billion kWh by 2030
China expects computing facilities to use 800 billion kWh a year by 2030, nearly four times the 2025 level.
The forecast comes as artificial intelligence expands and demand for computing capacity rises.
The challenge is that computing centres are concentrated in the east, while renewable energy is more abundant in the west.
The government is promoting “computing-power and electricity coordination” to match computing demand with power supplies and make better use of renewable energy.
Projects in places including Inner Mongolia connect data centres directly to renewable power, while some computing centres can adjust their electricity use when the grid is under pressure.
This matters because flexible computing demand can help balance the grid and absorb more renewable power.
The National Energy Administration says it will continue developing the power grid and study policies to support direct renewable-power links for computing facilities.
China’s computing power electricity use is projected to reach 800 billion kilowatt-hours by 2030, about 6% of national electricity consumption.
The National Energy Administration forecasts average annual growth of more than 100 billion kilowatt-hours during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Computing centers used 170 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025, equal to 1.6% of China’s total electricity use.
Rapid artificial intelligence growth is driving demand, while regional mismatches between computing demand and renewable power supply pose challenges.
Authorities are promoting coordination between computing infrastructure and the power system, including direct supplies of green electricity.
- Who
- China’s National Energy Administration made the forecast.
- What
- Computing power use is expected to reach 800 billion kilowatt-hours a year by 2030.
- When
- The forecast was made on October 30; the projected target is for 2030.
- Where
- China.
- Why
- Demand is rising with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and computing infrastructure.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The National Data Administration launched pilot efforts to coordinate computing and electricity in several hub nodes and regions with abundant clean energy.
China’s first data-center project combining direct green electricity supply with integrated source-grid-load-storage operations began running in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia.
Four government departments issued an action plan on mutual support between artificial intelligence and energy.
Eleven computing centers in northern Hebei released more than 100 megawatts of power capacity during a peak-demand period.
China’s first city-level computing-power-and-electricity coordination platform began operating in Yangzhou, Jiangsu.
The National Energy Administration announced the forecast for computing power electricity use by 2030.
- 2030 forecast
- 800 billion kilowatt-hours
- Share of national electricity use
- About 6% by 2030
- 2025 computing-center use
- 170 billion kilowatt-hours
- 2025 share of national electricity use
- 1.6%
- Ulanqab green-power project
- 300 megawatts of wind and solar capacity; 45 megawatts of storage
- Hebei power response
- 11 computing centers released more than 100 megawatts of power capacity
1 source
What people are saying
Computing power use is expected to increase by more than 100 billion kilowatt-hours a year during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, reaching 800 billion kilowatt-hours by 2030, or about 6% of total social electricity consumption.
Direct green electricity supply is an important way to coordinate computing and electricity.
Electricity is the ultimate foundation of computing power, and promoting coordination between computing and electricity is a necessary path for China to gain a global competitive advantage in the computing industry.