Computing industry hungry for power

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 say.

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

The escalating power need of the computing sector is becoming a major factor in China's overall energy picture. Currently ranked ninth among high energy-consuming industries, computing's share of national electricity demand is projected to rise sharply, Zhao said during a BloombergNEF summit held in Beijing recently.