Hohhot emerges as green AI hub through wind-powered computing

The fourth annual Green Computing Power (Artificial Intelligence) Conference was held on August 22, 2026, in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. The event focused on the synergy between computing and electricity, highlighting the region's emergence as a hub for sustainable AI infrastructure.

Major companies, including ByteDance and Cambricon, signed agreements worth tens of billions of yuan to develop green intelligent computing centers and token factories. The region's strategic advantage lies in its ability to convert wind and solar energy directly into power for data centers. Dedicated transmission lines connect wind turbines on the Cilechuan Grassland to nearby facilities, bypassing the public grid to lower costs.

This approach addresses the massive energy requirements of AI, where training large-scale models can consume over 100 million kilowatt-hours annually. For example, the Hohhot Intelligent Computing Center, operated by China Mobile, reported that electricity costs accounted for over 70% of its total operating expenses in 2025. Additionally, the local climate provides natural cooling advantages, potentially reducing cooling costs by more than 20%. This development aligns with China’s ‘East Data West Computing’ project, which shifts high computing demand from eastern regions to resource-rich western areas.