Envision Group Opens 2GW Wind-Powered Data Centre, Making Ulanqab China's AI Hub
Inner Mongolia's Ulanqab, known for livestock, now powers China's AI boom. Envision Group opened a 2GW data centre there, leveraging cheap wind power.
Ulanqab Shifts Economic Base to AI
Ulanqab, a city in Inner Mongolia, now powers China's artificial intelligence (AI) sector. Traditionally known for livestock and potato farming, its economy previously depended on weather patterns. The city's cool climate and strong winds, once driving its pastoral economy, now provide cheap energy.
This enables Ulanqab to become a significant computing hub for the global AI boom, transforming its industrial landscape.
Envision Group Unveils Major Data Centre
Chinese renewable energy firm Envision Group opened its Galaxy Campus in Ulanqab this month. The facility includes a 120,000 square metre (sq m) AI data centre, as stated by the company. This centre aims to accommodate up to one million AI accelerators. Its planned power capacity exceeds two gigawatts (GW).
For comparison, Elon Musk's SpaceXAI operates Colossus 2, a US-based data centre with 1.5 GW of projected IT power capacity, according to Epoch AI.
This development offers a clear path for Chinese AI firms to scale operations efficiently. Access to low-cost computing power can reduce operational expenditure for AI development and deployment. It also demonstrates how remote, resource-rich regions can become crucial digital infrastructure nodes.
Other Asian economies may observe this model, potentially driving investment into renewable energy and data centre projects in similar locations across the region.
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