Rural Inner Mongolia takes centre stage in China’s data centre boom
Cold, dry weather and mature green-energy infrastructure have powered the northern city of Ulanqab’s shift from potato-growing pastureland into a computing power heartland.
For generations, Ulanqab in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region has long been known for growing potatoes, but now it is becoming home to one of China’s most valuable industrial assets – AI computing. As the nation scrambles to build computing power and electricity to feed the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the city’s cold climate and mature renewable energy are helping reduce cooling costs for power-intensive data centres. Ulanqab is also offering employment to build the centres, attracting a growing number of young people who in the past headed to metropolitan areas to pursue job opportunities.