China’s AI power play: Beijing banks on clean-energy boom to triumph over US
Ex-finance official Zhu Guangyao says abundant energy supply gives the nation a critical edge in AI, as ‘electricity is computing power’
China’s rapid push into artificial intelligence and its simultaneous energy transition are central to overtaking the United States in technological supremacy, according to a former finance vice-minister.
Competition in the field of AI has shifted from purely a technological sprint to a broader contest over application scenarios and regulatory frameworks, led by the world’s two largest economies, Zhu Guangyao explained.
“China’s leading position in energy transition has laid a solid foundation for AI development, thereby creating vast application scenarios,” Zhu told the National Business Daily in a report published on Sunday.
“For the US, the challenge posed by new circumstances lies in [the principle] that ‘electricity is computing power’,” he added.
Zhu also noted that, while the US currently leads in computing power, American industry leaders have publicly admitted that the gap with China was closing.
As AI development triggers an explosion in global electricity demand, China’s abundant energy supply is increasingly viewed as a strategic advantage.