National computing grid to become 'public utility'

China has initiated a major project to unify its domestic computing resources into a singular national grid. This plan treats raw processing power like a public utility, providing users with consistent access to computing assets similar to how electricity is distributed. Officials revealed these plans at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, highlighting a current capacity of 1,882 EFLOPS across 14.45 million server racks.

The project follows a long-term roadmap. According to Gao Wen of the Peng Cheng Laboratory, the first stage of pooling resources is approximately 70 percent complete. The following years will focus on coordinating specific tasks between partner firms before moving into a final stage where tasks shift between providers without requiring input from the user regarding the underlying hardware location.

To meet the demands of growing AI models, researchers are looking toward emerging technologies. Pan Jianwei, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that quantum communication is already active in finance and government sectors. While general-purpose quantum computing remains over a decade away, he expects quantum sensing to reach commercial scale soon in medical and navigation fields.

The scale of this infrastructure is already visible with the recent completion of the Sugon 8000. This cluster uses 100,000 accelerators and is built entirely on domestic technology, moving the country away from reliance on foreign components. This effort includes the new Star Nexus initiative, which aims to deploy 1,000 satellites into orbit to leverage space environments for better heat management and energy efficiency in computing operations.

This multi-decade strategy aims to create a self-contained system. By integrating terrestrial grids, quantum research, and orbital satellites, the country intends to manage its own computational needs while reducing dependence on international supply chains. The work is ongoing, with officials characterizing the effort as a long-term build that will define the next generation of domestic technological independence.