How China is powering new data centers with clean energy

Unlike the U.S., China is making clean energy a core part of its AI infrastructure buildout.

A wind and solar-powered data center in Inner Mongolia [Photo: Li Zhipeng/Xinhua/Getty Images]

The number of data centers in China is surging thanks to AI, just like in the U.S. But unlike the U.S., China is racing to power them with clean energy.

A data center in Mongolia, for example, is connected to 200 megawatts of wind power, 100 megawatts of solar power, and 45 megawatts of battery storage. In remote Qinghai, a pilot data center runs fully on a solar microgrid. In another part of northern China, a data center is connected to 500........

© Fast Company