Surging artificial intelligence data usage reshaping economy

China's appetite for artificial intelligence data is exploding at a scale that is beginning to reshape the economy, with daily token usage soaring from just over 1 trillion at the start of 2025 to 100 trillion by year-end, showing "exponential growth", officials said on Wednesday.

The figure rose further to 140 trillion by March this year, according to Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, underscoring the accelerating value of data as a production factor and the rapid emergence of new forms of the "intelligent economy".