China's AI effect: giant data centers being built at record speed

Inner Mongolia's Ulanqab region, once known as the country's "potato capital," has now become a construction site for giant data centers serving China's ambitious artificial intelligence goals. Beijing's leadership considers these facilities a core pillar of economic and national security as part of its strategy to apply AI to 90% of industry and society by 2030. Construction is moving forward at "Chinese speed" thanks to the region's cool climate and access to cheap renewable energy. At the same time, amid US migration restrictions, the return of skilled engineers educated abroad is further strengthening the local talent pool.

"Postxronika.az" reports, citing the BBC, that Washington, emphasizing that this rapid development poses a serious threat to US technological leadership, is maintaining its bans on selling advanced chips to China. While the White House and tech giants like "Anthropic" are trying to maintain their edge in the AI race, Beijing is determined to sharply increase computing power through strategic investment. On the other hand, these massive infrastructure projects are causing concern among local residents due to problems such as depleting water resources, village relocations and disrupted ecological balance in the region. As a result, the struggle between the two superpowers is intensifying not only in the digital space, but also at the data centers rising on the grasslands.

China's AI data centers find home on grasslands of Inner Mongolia This video vividly shows real footage of the giant data centers and green energy stations being built on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, as well as the scale of China's digital infrastructure projects.

Rəşad Hüseynov