Computing sector to play crucial role in power demand

China's rapidly expanding computing infrastructure is emerging as a significant new source of power demand, challenging the nation's grid and accelerating the need for flexible energy regulation capabilities, industry experts said.

While China pushes forward with its ambitious renewable energy build-out, the surge in demand from data centers, AI, and other computing-intensive sectors is creating a challenge for grid operators, requiring solutions beyond traditional power sources, said Zhao Yong, president of the Energy Research Institute under China Huaneng Group Co Ltd.

The escalating power consumption of the computing sector is becoming a major factor in China's overall energy picture. Among high energy-consuming industries, computing's share of national electricity demand is projected to rise sharply, he said during a summit held by industry consultancy BloombergNEF in Beijing recently.