By Gu Yekai, People’s Daily

Recently, Dawning 8000, China’s first all-domestic 100,000-card AI supercluster, has been completed and put into operation at the national supercomputing internet core node in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan province. This marked the beginning of a 100,000-card deployment stage for China’s computing infrastructure development.

In its first week of operation, Dawning 8000 reached full utilization, processing an average of  150,000 computing jobs per day, with a peak daily workload exceeding 500,000 jobs. The system has already completed compatibility testing for a wide range of integrated supercomputing and intelligent computing applications, supporting scenarios including large model training, high-throughput inference, and scientific computing.

Both supercomputing and intelligent computing are essential for processing massive datasets and advancing cutting-edge science and technology.

Supercomputing primarily serves scientific research, tackling major scientific and engineering challenges that require high computational precision, such as weather forecasting, aircraft design, and earthquake simulation. 

Intelligent computing, on the other hand, focuses on AI algorithms and model innovation. While it places less emphasis on numerical precision, it prioritizes performance to support applications such as large model training, natural language processing, and autonomous driving.

As large AI models grow larger, computing scenarios become increasingly complex, and AI applications expand rapidly, there is an urgent need for a new generation of computing infrastructure capable of handling high concurrency, high throughput, mixed precision, and multi-task workloads.

Dawning 8000 was developed specifically to meet this demand. As a supercluster, it interconnects tens of thousands of computing cards at ultra-high speed, logically integrating them into a single, centrally scheduled “mega computer,” delivering massive parallel computing power.

“Dawning 8000 adopts a supercomputing-AI fusion architecture, combining high-precision scientific computing with lower-precision intelligent computing on the same platform,” said Li Bin, senior vice president of Chinese tech firm Sugon, which developed the supercluster.

“It supports computing precision ranging from 64-bit double precision down to 32-bit, 16-bit, 8-bit, and even lower, while providing flexible mixed-precision scheduling to meet the needs of scientific research, large model training, AI inference, and industrial simulation.” Li added.

The system is a true engineering marvel. It integrates three billion electronic components, incorporates over 1,600 kilometers of interconnection cables, and weighs approximately 1,500 tons. Yet the entire system had to be assembled with a structural precision of less than 0.05 millimeters—thinner than a sheet of A4 paper.

In terms of system development, Dawning 8000 features a fully self-developed domestic AI infrastructure spanning the entire technology stack, including chips, computing, storage, networking, cooling, applications, and services. Every stage, from the development of core components to full system deployment, has been achieved with domestically developed technologies.

“Scaling up from 10,000 to 100,000 accelerators is far more than simply multiplying the number of devices by 10. The real challenge lies in ensuring that the expanded system delivers the performance and efficiency expected at such a scale, “Li said.

He explained that, in terms of computing coordination, as system architectures evolve toward increasingly complex heterogeneous computing, any bottleneck in either computing or networking nodes can significantly reduce overall performance. 

Moreover, the sharp increase in the number of components raises the theoretical failure rate, while the greater complexity of the system architecture makes maintaining stable operation even more challenging.

China’s rapid progress in domestically developed AI chips and the underlying hardware and software ecosystem has provided strong support for the construction of Dawning 8000. 

For example, the distributed storage technology used by the system topped both the production full-node and 10-node categories in the IO500 rankings, a global storage performance benchmark, released in June this year. 

The storage system is capable of supporting the massive data read-and-write requirements of large model training and scientific computing, ensuring the efficient operation of large-scale computing clusters and demonstrating China’s world-leading capabilities in high-end storage technologies.

In addition, high-speed networking, digital twin-based operations and maintenance, and unified scheduling across heterogeneous computing resources have further enhanced the operational efficiency and application adaptability of ultra-large-scale clusters. 

Industry experts believe that establishing a fully domestic technology stack from chips and complete systems to foundational software and intelligent applications, and building a new generation of intelligent computing infrastructure carries profound strategic significance.

Immediately after entering operation, Dawning 8000 was connected to the national supercomputing internet and, through it, integrated into China’s national integrated computing power network. 

It now provides computing services to research institutions and industrial users, supporting applications including weather forecasting, materials design, energy exploration, biomedicine, quantum computing, fluid dynamics simulation, industrial simulation, and large model training and inference, while enabling broader nationwide computing resource coordination and application support.

The system has already completed deep adaptation for more than 300 key applications across over 20 industries.

China officially launched the national supercomputing internet in April 2024. It has since become the country’s largest integrated computing network and application service platform, bringing together more than 3.5 million CPU cores and 250,000 GPUs. 

The platform now serves more than 1.4 million registered users, with the average user age continuing to decline, making high-end computing resources accessible to everyone from secondary school students to professional researchers.

By Wang Yunshan, People’s Daily

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a defining force in the current wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. As AI applications expand across industries, computing infrastructure continues to expand — and with it, the demand for electricity.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global investment in computing infrastructure will continue to grow rapidly. By 2030, electricity consumption by data centers worldwide is expected to nearly double compared to 2025 levels. 

Reflecting this trend, this year’s Chinese government work report called for advancing new infrastructure projects, including hyperscale intelligent computing clusters, and promoting the coordinated development of computing capacity and electricity supply.

Why is closer integration between computing power and electricity becoming so important?

The figures tell the story.

In 2025, China’s computing centers consumed 170 billion kWh of electricity, accounting for 1.6 percent of the country’s total electricity consumption. Power demand from computing facilities at the eight national hub nodes of China’s integrated computing network has become a major driver  of incremental electricity consumption, with an average annual growth rate of 39.5 percent over the past three years, far outpacing overall electricity demand growth.

“At its core, AI involves highly complex calculations on enormous volumes of data,” explained Tian Lei, director of the energy strategy center at the Energy Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission. 

“Whether training large AI models or running inference in everyday applications, AI requires continuous large-scale computing, which depends on high-performance, high-power chips. That is the fundamental reason AI consumes so much energy,” Tian added.

Consider a single AI chip. A chip with a power rating of about 700 watts typically consumes more than 10 times the electricity of a conventional central processing unit.

“A cluster equipped with 10,000 such AI chips would require around 7 megawatts of power for the chips alone,” Tian said.

The challenge extends beyond computing hardware itself. 

Running these chips continuously at high loads generates enormous amounts of heat. To ensure safe and reliable operation, computing centers require extensive cooling, ventilation, and temperature-control systems.

“Energy-saving technologies have significantly improved cooling efficiency over the years,” Tian noted. “Even so, cooling systems still account for more than 1/5 of a computing center’s total electricity consumption on average.”

Operating around the clock, a 10,000-chip AI cluster — including both the chips and supporting systems — consumes at least 200,000 kWh of electricity every day, Tian told People’s Daily.

The rapid expansion of the AI industry is expected to further drive electricity demand

China’s computing capacity continues to grow at a rapid pace. By the end of March this year, the country’s intelligent computing capacity had reached 1.882 million petaFLOPS, about 2.5 times the level recorded a year earlier. Strong growth is expected to continue.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), electricity consumption by China’s computing sector is projected to increase by more than 100 billion kWh annually, reaching 800 billion kWh by 2030, or roughly 6 percent of the country’s total electricity consumption.

AI computing facilities also require exceptionally stable electricity. Even minor fluctuations in voltage or frequency can lead to data transmission errors or equipment failures. Meeting AI’s energy needs therefore requires not only sufficient electricity supply, but also consistently high-quality power.

What advantages does China have in meeting AI’s growing electricity demand?

In terms of supply capacity, China has already built the world’s largest power supply system.

By the end of May this year, the country’s total installed power generation capacity had reached 4.01 billion kilowatts, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the global total, equivalent to about 1.7 times the combined installed capacity of the European Union and the United States.

Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration, noted that China’s energy supply has remained stable and orderly throughout this year, demonstrating the resilience of the country’s energy system. This stability, he said, provides confidence that the system can meet the rising electricity demand driven by AI development.

At the same time, China’s power mix is becoming increasingly greener.                                                                 

By the end of May, non-fossil fuel power generation capacity accounted for 62 percent of the country’s total installed capacity, about 30 percentage points higher than in 2012.

Today, virtually all newly added electricity demand in China is being met by renewable power, reflecting steady progress in the country’s green transition.

Market mechanisms have further accelerated this shift.

In 2025, China’s cumulative green electricity trading volume reached 328.5 billion kWh, while cross-provincial and cross-regional green power transactions continued to expand. The country has also established the world’s largest green electricity certificate market, with 930 million certificates traded last year.

Newly built data centers in locations such as Horinger in north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Qingyang in northwest China’s Gansu province already source more than 80 percent of their electricity from renewable energy.

Recently, the National Energy Administration, together with other government departments released a series of policy documents, including an action plan for promoting mutual empowerment of AI and energy, which further clarify key priorities for integrating AI with the energy sector.

These policies are designed to strengthen the supply of safe, reliable and green electricity needed for AI development, while also providing stronger institutional support for deeper integration and mutual empowerment between AI and the energy industry.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

The Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation recently held its 2026 meeting in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. 

Against a backdrop of global turbulence and change, council members held in-depth discussions on how to advance Belt and Road cooperation more effectively — focusing on capturing new opportunities, addressing emerging challenges, and deepening connectivity.

As uncertainty in the global economy grows, Belt and Road partner countries remain committed to connectivity, common development, and mutually beneficial cooperation. Together, they are channeling positive energy into the world — strengthening unity, collaboration, and shared success — while contributing to greater stability in an increasingly volatile international environment.

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), offering the world a vision of shared development rooted in Chinese wisdom. In today’s complex and rapidly evolving global landscape, the initiative’s foresight and relevance have only become more  apparent.

Council Members spoke highly of the global significance and enduring value of the BRI, noting that it has enhanced the resilience and growth potential of the world economy.

Over the past 13 years, the BRI has evolved from a Chinese proposal into a widely embraced international endeavor and an important global public good. More than 3/4 of the world’s countries have joined the Belt and Road cooperation framework. More than 4,000 cooperation projects have been launched, with cumulative investment exceeding $1 trillion.

Through concrete outcomes, the initiative has helped build a belt of development and a road to happiness to benefit all parties.

Thanks to the joint efforts, Belt and Road cooperation has entered a new stage of high-quality development. Infrastructure connectivity continues to improve, cooperation on rules and standards has deepened, and people-to-people ties among partner countries have grown increasingly close.

Over the past decade, China-Europe freight train services have seen their annual freight train trips skyrocket 10.8-fold, providing strong support for the stability and smooth operation of global supply chains. 

During the same period, the Port of Piraeus in Greece, operated by a Chinese company, has been transformed from an aging Mediterranean port into an international shipping hub. 

Meanwhile, the China-Laos 500-kilovolt power interconnection project is creating an “electricity highway” that provides new momentum for Laos’ development.

From landmark infrastructure projects to “small yet smart” livelihood programs, roads, bridges, ports, industrial parks, and equipment projects have facilitated the international application of Chinese technologies, standards, and equipment. 

More importantly, they have addressed the development priorities of partner countries and the practical needs of local communities, ensuring that the benefits of cooperation take root and improve people’s lives.

As the world faces an ever-growing number of shared challenges, the BRI offers a development-centered approach to tackling global issues. It not only creates new opportunities for participating countries but also contributes Chinese wisdom to global governance.

At a time when unilateralism, protectionism, and bloc confrontation continue undermining the multilateral international order and fragmenting global cooperation, the BRI remains committed to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits. It seeks to promote political trust, economic integration, and people-to-people exchanges, while advancing trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

In the first half of this year, China’s trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 12.97 trillion yuan ($1.92 trillion), up 14.8 percent year on year and accounting for 50.9 percent of the country’s total foreign trade. These figures underscore China’s unwavering commitment to opening up and its determination to further expand engagement with the world.

Mari Elka Pangestu, former managing director of development policy and partnerships at the World Bank, observed that China has taken the initiative in building multilateral cooperation platforms and proposing practical solutions, adding that Belt and Road cooperation has become an important platform for sustaining open global trade and technology transfer.

To address global challenges such as climate change, public health crises and imbalances in digital governance, China has actively promoted forward-looking international cooperation under the Belt and Road framework in areas such as green and low-carbon development, the digital economy and artificial intelligence. 

Working with partner countries, China is advancing the development of the Green Silk Road, the Health Silk Road, and the Digital Silk Road, creating new opportunities and expanding new frontiers for global development and governance.

Looking ahead, China will remain a reliable partner to all participants in Belt and Road cooperation. Together with all parties, China will continue to promote the steady and sustained progress in Belt and Road international cooperation, ensuring that this broad avenue of mutual benefit, win-win cooperation and shared prosperity continues to expand.