As artificial intelligence evolves into a core driver of global industrial competition, China's strong power supply system and its forward-looking computing-electricity synergy strategy will give it an unparalleled edge in rolling out AI infrastructure, according to experts, corporate executives and on-the-ground evidence.
专家、企业高管及实地证据表明，随着人工智能发展成为全球产业竞争的核心驱动力，中国强大的电力供应体系及其前瞻性的算电协同战略，将为其部署AI基础设施提供无与伦比的优势。
Zhang Qin, former deputy chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and fellow of International Academy of Artificial Intelligence Sciences, said that "AI is creating an explosive demand for energy, and the solution lies in safe, reliable and green power. China has great strength in that area".
中国科协原副主席、国际人工智能科学院院士张勤表示，“人工智能正在催生爆炸性的能源需求，解决方案在于安全、可靠且绿色的电力。中国在这一领域拥有强大实力”。
"Apart from solar and wind power, nuclear energy can also be a crucial power supply for data centers if safety is guaranteed. This is a technological frontier to be conquered rather than a barrier to AI adoption," Zhang told China Daily on the sidelines of the recent World Internet of Things Top 500 Summit in Beijing.
张勤在近日于北京举行的世界物联网500强峰会期间接受《中国日报》采访时表示：“除了风能和太阳能，核能若安全保障到位，同样可以成为数据中心的关键电力来源。这是一个有待攻克的技术前沿，而非AI应用的障碍。”
The comments came as China embraces AI with open arms. The value of its core AI industries exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan ($177 billion) last year, maintaining annual growth of more than 20 percent for several consecutive years, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
这些言论正值中国全力拥抱AI之际。据工业和信息化部数据，去年中国核心AI产业产值超过1.2万亿元人民币（约合1770亿美元），连续数年保持20%以上的年增长率。
Furthermore, the country is turning AI into real-world applications and a driver of economic growth. In the first half of this year, China's industrial output of AI-related sectors, including integrated circuit manufacturing and in-vehicle intelligent equipment manufacturing, grew more than 30 percent year-on-year.
此外，中国正将AI转化为实际应用和经济增长的驱动力。今年上半年，中国集成电路制造、车载智能设备制造等AI相关产业的工业产值同比增长超过30%。
Wei Zhigang, chairman of CNNC Hainan Nuclear Power Co, said that as AI triggers unprecedented global demand for computing power, "the ultimate constraint has become clear: the need for vast, stable electricity supplies".
中核集团海南核电有限公司董事长魏志刚表示，随着人工智能引发全球对算力的空前需求，“最终的约束已变得清晰：对庞大而稳定电力供应的需求”。
Tech giants such as Microsoft and Google are actively exploring small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, to power AI data centers.
微软、谷歌等科技巨头正积极探索利用小型模块化核反应堆为AI数据中心供电。
Wei added that CNNC's Linglong One — the world's first onshore commercial SMR — is nearing completion, and the company plans to begin commercial operations later this year. One key advantage of SMRs, Wei said, is their flexible placement, allowing them to be deployed right where computing power is needed, enabling close load-matching.
魏志刚补充说，中核集团的“玲珑一号”，全球首个陆上商用小型模块化核反应堆已接近完工，公司计划于今年晚些时候开始商业运营。他指出，SMR的一大优势在于其部署灵活性，可直接建在算力需求地，实现就近负荷匹配。
Zhou Ji, a senior researcher at market consultancy Pangoal, said that "China's energy system has an edge in three dimensions: scale, structure and system, which constitutes solid support for AI computing infrastructure at the foundational level".
市场咨询机构盘古智库高级研究员周济表示，“中国能源体系在规模、结构和体制三个维度上具有优势，这为AI算力基础设施奠定了坚实基础”。
Regarding scale, China ranks first in the world in total electricity generation and also leads in incremental growth. In terms of structure, the country has the world's largest installed capacity of new energy, with the share of green power continuing to rise, Zhou said.
周济指出，在规模上，中国发电总量位居全球第一，增量增长同样领先；在结构上，中国拥有全球最大的新能源装机容量，绿色电力占比持续上升。
As for system, China's ultra-high-voltage grid technology enables cross-regional optimization of power resources, while the country is also adopting a pioneering approach that aligns computing infrastructure with clean energy sources, he added.
他补充说，在体制上，中国的特高压电网技术实现了电力资源的跨区域优化配置，同时，中国还在采取一种开创性做法，即让算力基础设施与清洁能源协同布局。
Looking ahead, the Beijing Institute of Technology's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research projected that by 2030, China's data centers will consume about 525.76 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 4.8 percent of the country's total societal electricity use.
展望未来，北京理工大学能源与环境政策研究中心预测，到2030年，中国数据中心将消耗约5257.6亿千瓦时电力，占全社会用电量的4.8%。
In the United States, meanwhile, the amount of electricity consumed by data centers is expected to cause significant tightening across the national power market.
与此同时，美国数据中心的电力消耗预计将导致全国电力市场显著趋紧。
That strain is already feeding through to the real economy, as big tech data centers are driving up power bills for manufacturers across the US Rust Belt, Reuters reported. For example, the Belden Brick Co in Sugarcreek, Ohio, a 141-year-old enterprise, saw its electricity costs surge 90 percent last year, largely due to rising power demand from regional data centers.
据路透社报道，这种压力已传导至实体经济，大型科技数据中心正在推高美国“铁锈地带”制造商的电费账单。例如，俄亥俄州舒格克里克市拥有141年历史的贝尔登砖公司，去年电费飙升了90%，主要原因是区域数据中心的电力需求不断增长。
China, by contrast, is taking a coordinated, long-term approach. Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration, has said that China's energy system will become significantly more secure, resilient and structurally optimized by 2030, driven by over 20 trillion yuan in planned investments for key energy projects and emerging sectors.
相比之下，中国正采取协调一致、着眼长远的方法。国家能源局局长王宏志表示，在重点能源项目和新兴领域计划投资逾20万亿元的推动下，到2030年，中国能源系统将显著提升安全性、韧性和结构优化水平。
To accommodate the surging electricity demand driven by AI, Wang said China will closely align national computing hubs with large renewable bases in the western regions, advancing the synergy between computing and electricity, while simultaneously promoting distributed power, microgrids and virtual power plants to meet localized computing needs.
王宏志表示，为满足AI驱动的激增电力需求，中国将把全国算力枢纽与西部地区大型可再生能源基地紧密对接，推进算电协同，同时推广分布式电源、微电网和虚拟电厂，以满足本地化算力需求。
A virtual power plant is a network of small, distributed energy resources, such as solar panels and electric vehicle chargers, that are connected and managed as one.
虚拟电厂是一个由小型分布式能源资源（如太阳能电池板和电动汽车充电桩）组成的网络，这些资源被连接起来并作为一个整体进行管理。
Song Yunbo, chief sustainability officer of GCL Group, a major Chinese new energy company, said that China "already generates over one-third of its electricity from renewables — a global leader — and the country's energy surplus makes it an ideal testing ground for AI-driven applications".
中国新能源巨头协鑫集团首席可持续发展官宋赟波表示，中国“已有超过三分之一的电力来自可再生能源全球领先而国家的能源富余使其成为AI驱动应用的理想试验场”。
Miao Qing, chairwoman of Yingli Group, another Chinese new energy company, said AI-powered virtual power plants are reshaping electricity systems by aggregating distributed renewables, storage and flexible loads to smooth peaks and valleys while dynamically responding to real-time market prices.
另一家中国新能源企业英利集团董事长苗青表示，AI驱动的虚拟电厂正在重塑电力系统，通过聚合分布式可再生能源、储能和灵活负荷，削峰填谷，同时动态响应实时市场价格。
Miao said China has already built more than 530 virtual power plants, and the prospects for wider application are "very promising".
苗青表示，中国已建成530多个虚拟电厂，更广泛的应用前景“非常乐观”。
load-matching /ləʊd ˈmætʃɪŋ/负荷匹配
incremental growth /ˌɪŋkrɪˈmentəl ɡrəʊθ/增量增长
installed capacity /ɪnˈstɔːld kəˈpæsəti/装机容量
ultra-high-voltage grid /ˈʌltrə haɪ ˈvəʊltɪdʒ ɡrɪd/特高压电网
cross-regional optimization /krɒs ˈriːdʒənəl ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/跨区域优化配置
societal electricity use /səˈsaɪətəl ɪˌlekˈtrɪsəti juːs/全社会用电量
Rust Belt /rʌst belt/铁锈地带
coordinated /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪtɪd/协调一致的
