Emerging
Jun 18, 20261
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China Builds National Computing Network as AI Token Usage Surges 1,000-Fold
China is building a national integrated computing network to support AI token consumption, which has surged over 1,000-fold from 100 billion daily tokens in early 2024 to 140 trillion in March 2026. The government has designated this infrastructure project as a key national priority with projected investments exceeding 7 trillion yuan, comparable in importance to traditional power and transport networks.
Quick Facts
Who
China's National Data Bureau
What
Construction of national integrated computing power network
When
May 2024
Where
China
- Construction of national integrated computing power network
- Explosive growth in AI token consumption
- Deployment of 5G-A base stations
- Development of token-based API pricing for AI services
- Planning for 6G commercial launch
China is constructing a unified national computing infrastructure to support explosive growth in artificial intelligence token consumption, which has increased more than 1,000-fold in just two years. Daily token usage across China reached 140 trillion in March 2026, up from 100 billion in early 2024, according to the National Data Bureau. ByteDance's AI assistant Doubao exemplifies this trend, growing from 100 billion daily tokens in May 2024 to over 120 trillion by March 2026.
The surge reflects the widespread adoption of AI agents and large-scale language models across Chinese industries. Global token consumption has similarly accelerated, with companies like OpenAI and Anthropic charging premium rates—OpenAI's GPT-5.5 charges $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens. However, Chinese providers offer significantly lower prices: DeepSeek's V3.1 costs just $0.28 per million input tokens and $1.10 for output, while ByteDance's Doubao Lite charges as little as $0.042 per million input tokens.
To meet long-term demand, China has designated a national integrated computing power network as a key infrastructure project for the 15th Five-Year Plan, comparable in importance to water, power, and transport networks. The government has projected total investment in the network and related fields will exceed 7 trillion yuan ($968 billion) in 2026. This unified infrastructure will connect data centers, supercomputing centers, and edge computing facilities across the country, enabling flexible resource allocation similar to the national power grid.
The telecommunications foundation for this computing grid is already advancing rapidly. As of April 2026, China had deployed over 5 million 5G base stations covering 330 cities with 5G-A networks. During the current five-year plan, the infrastructure is expected to evolve from "dual-gigabit" to "dual-ten-gigabit" connectivity, with 500,000 new 5G-A base stations planned. China is also preparing for 6G commercial launch around 2030, which could increase network efficiency and connectivity capacity more than tenfold, supplemented by thousands of low-orbit satellites for comprehensive coverage.
Why This Matters
China's national computing network represents a strategic investment in AI infrastructure that will reshape global AI competition. As token consumption surges 1,000-fold in two years, this unified grid—comparable to national power networks—ensures reliable AI service delivery while supporting the country's domestic AI providers to compete on pricing and scale. For businesses and investors, this signals China's determination to lead AI deployment domestically and globally, with implications for technology supply chains, cloud computing markets, and international AI standards.
Timeline & Sources
Jun 18, 2026
WireCGTN publishes report on China's computing network expansion