Why is China building AI centres on the roof of the world?

Yajiang-1, a cutting-edge computing centre perched in the cradle of Tibetan civilisation along the Yarlung Tsangpo River, is up and running as part of China’s plan to transform the so-called roof of the world into a strategic frontier for sustainable supercomputing.

The facility, the first major hub of the “Eastern Data, Western Computing” project on the Tibetan Plateau, takes advantage of the region’s extreme environment to make massive artificial intelligence (AI) training tasks – amounting to millions of processing hours a year – radically more energy efficient.

China plans to harness the natural cold, abundant solar power and innovative waste heat recovery to build more AI centres like Yajiang-1, which sits at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 feet).

10:41

How Hangzhou’s ‘Six Little Dragons’ built a new Chinese tech hub

How Hangzhou’s ‘Six Little Dragons’ built a new Chinese tech hub

Located in Shannan, a city in Tibet autonomous region, the centre’s initial phase will deploy more than 256 advanced computing servers, delivering a total processing power of 2,000 petaflops – a measure of floating-point operations per second.

The facility, which was jointly developed by Tibet Yarlung Zangbo Computing Technology Company and the local government, aims to pioneer high-altitude digital economies.

“Yajiang-1 will catalyse frontier innovation across AI training, autonomous driving, smart healthcare and plateau ecosystem monitoring,” said Han Shuangshuang, general manager of the computing firm, in an interview with Science and Technology Daily published on June 20.

“Multiple partnerships are already established to advance these fields,” he told the official newspaper of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology.

China launched its Eastern Data, Western Computing strategy in 2022 to shift data processing from eastern regions, where computing needs are intensive, to renewable energy-rich western regions. The national initiative establishes data centres in the west to handle offline analytics, storage and non-urgent computing tasks from eastern China.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Pop Mart's Labubu Triggers Buying Spree

Young Chinese consumers are spending to feel good amid slower economic growth

HONG KONG — Young people in China may not be buying cars or houses, but there’s always money for milk tea and toys. It’s a challenging time to be a young person in China: The world’s second-biggest economy is growing far slower than it was when their parents were their age, with the U.S.-China trade

28 June 2025
US Stunned: China’s Latest Fighter Jets Are Leaving Russian Technology Behind

US Stunned: China’s Latest Fighter Jets Are Leaving Russian Technology Behind

In recent years, China has emerged as a formidable player in the global arms race, particularly in the field of advanced combat aircraft. Fast fighter jets, packed with cutting-edge avionics and weaponry, are at the forefront of China’s military innovation, challenging traditional powerhouses like the US and Russia. Historically, the Soviet Union, and later Russia,

28 June 2025
Zhejiang Travel , China’s Inbound Tourism,

Zhejiang Travel Platform Sets New Standard For China’s Inbound Tourism With Advanced AI Technology

Home » CHINA TRAVEL NEWS » Zhejiang Travel Platform Sets New Standard For China’s Inbound Tourism With Advanced AI Technology Saturday, June 28, 2025 China’s Zhejiang province has launched Zhejiang Travel, a cutting-edge digital platform designed to enhance the travel experience for international visitors. Unveiled at the World Tourism Alliance headquarters in Hangzhou, this AI-powered,

28 June 2025
受访者供图

Global youth delegates explore innovation in China’s Greater Bay Area

On June 24, the 2025 Future Close-Up global youth exchange and visit program commenced at the headquarters of Chinese Internet giant Tencent in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, marking the start of a six-day exploration of the high-quality development practices in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Future Close-Up was collaboratively launched in 2023 by the

28 June 2025
ET logo

Ford forced to idle multiple US plants on China magnet shortage

Ford Motor Co. temporarily idled factories in the US over the last three weeks due to a shortage of magnets containing rare earth minerals, key components embroiled in US trade tensions with China. Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley said the situation demonstrates the need to develop a domestic supply chain for critical auto components. China

28 June 2025
Bybit Launches Seamless Trading Across Stocks, Crypto and FX

Trump Proposes Bold Policies to Outpace China in Tech Development

TLDRs: Trump plans sweeping executive orders to accelerate U.S. dominance in AI and counter China’s tech rise. His proposals would offer federal land and ease energy rules to fast-track AI infrastructure like data centers. A Republican-led bill seeks to ban state-level AI laws, tying compliance to broadband funding. Critics warn the strategy favors tech giants

28 June 2025
Iran's Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

Iran joins China and Russia in security talks after US strikes

Iran’s defense minister has made his first overseas visit since a deadly 12-day conflict with Israel, traveling to China for a gathering of top military officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional security bloc led by Beijing and Moscow. The visit, amid ongoing volatility in the Middle East, signals Tehran’s determination to deepen

27 June 2025
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x