China is stepping up investment in its power grid and computing infrastructure to support the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and other high-tech industries.

The move comes as surging computing demand puts greater pressure on electricity supplies. In 2025, nationwide computing centres consumed 18.1 percent more electricity than a year earlier, compared with 5.2 percent growth in overall household and business consumption.

To improve efficiency, authorities are encouraging companies to shift computing workloads from regions facing power constraints to areas with surplus capacity. Guangzhou, for example, recently moved non-urgent computing tasks to a data centre in Guizhou during a period of tight supply.

The National Development and Reform Commission said 4 trillion yuan (about $593 billion) will be invested during 2026-2030 to develop a nationwide integrated computing power network, helping coordinate resources across regions and support the growth of large AI models.