China to Issue Computing Power Standards Guide, Promote Market-Based Pricing
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced plans to issue a guide for building a computing power standards system, aiming to establish standards for computing power market-based pricing and service capability assessment. This initiative comes as the demand for intelligent computing power surges due to the explosive growth of AI large models and agent applications. Xie Cun, spokesperson for the MIIT and director of the Information and Communication Development Department, stated this at a press conference on July 20th, which reviewed industrial and information technology development in the first half of 2026. Over the past two years, more than 70 major computing power channels have been built around national computing power hub nodes, resulting in a 10% improvement in network performance between these hubs. The MIIT plans to continue optimizing the deployment of computing power infrastructure resources by focusing on individual nodes, interconnected channels, networks, and overall systems. This includes enhancing the efficiency of computing power resource utilization and creating interconnected computing power nodes. Specific efforts will involve optimizing the supply and deployment of computing power resources, balancing industrial development with energy supply, promoting the construction of intelligent computing clusters, and fostering coordinated development between computing power and electricity. The ministry also intends to establish a tiered computing power layout and strengthen the overall monitoring of computing power resources.
The MIIT's push for standardized computing power, including market-based pricing, reflects a strategic effort to manage the burgeoning demand driven by AI advancements. By establishing clear standards, China aims to foster a more efficient and transparent computing power market, potentially reducing costs and improving resource allocation. This move could also centralize control over critical digital infrastructure, aligning its growth with national industrial and energy policies. The emphasis on 'intelligent computing clusters' and 'computing-electricity synergy' suggests a focus on optimizing energy consumption and integrating AI development with broader economic and environmental goals. Over the next decade, such standardization will be crucial for scaling AI responsibly, ensuring equitable access to computational resources, and maintaining global competitiveness in the AI race, while also navigating potential geopolitical implications of concentrated computing power.
AI-generated to prompt reflection — not editorial opinion, not advice, not a statement of fact. How this works.