The development of the digital economy presents a strategic opportunity to seize the new waves of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Computational power and electricity serve as the two essential foundations supporting the robust growth of the digital economy. The collaborative development of computational power and electricity is not only a necessary path for the high-quality development of the computational power industry but also enhances the electricity system through computational capabilities, achieving coordinated interactions between energy sources, networks, loads, and storage. This synergy improves system operational efficiency and increases the capacity for integrating new energy sources.
The National Development and Reform Commission and other relevant departments have jointly issued the Guidelines for National Data Infrastructure Construction, which emphasize the transformation from the “Watt” industry to the “Bit” industry. This involves strengthening the collaborative linkage between hub and non-hub nodes and supporting the integration of non-hub nodes with abundant green electricity resources into the national integrated computational power network. Additionally, it advocates for enhancing the synergy between large wind and solar bases and computational power hub nodes to convert green electricity into green computational power.
In the past two years, relevant departments in China have actively implemented policies to promote the collaborative development of computational power and electricity. For instance, the Implementation Opinions on Deepening the “East Data, West Computing” Project suggest innovating the collaborative mechanisms between computational power and electricity. The Special Action Plan for Green and Low-Carbon Development of Data Centers aims to establish a preliminary two-way collaborative mechanism by the end of 2025, with over 80% of new data centers at national hub nodes powered by green electricity. The Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a New Power System (2024-2027) also proposes the implementation of various collaborative projects between computational power and electricity.
Meanwhile, in practice, the “East Data, West Computing” initiative is facilitating the gradual transfer of computational power centers to the western regions, leveraging local green electricity resources to create digital industry clusters. For example, in December 2024, projects like the Qaidam Green Microgrid Computational Power Center and the China Unicom/Tianhe Solar Sanjiangyuan Green Electricity Intelligent Computing Integrated Demonstration Microgrid Project are set to commence construction.
Despite the positive progress from various parties, the collaborative development of computational power and electricity is still in its nascent stages. As two independent industrial systems, their intersection faces multiple challenges. On one hand, the demand for computational power is concentrated in the eastern regions, while abundant green electricity resources are found in the west. This mismatch in supply and demand exacerbates pressure on localized eastern power grids and presents challenges in the western regions due to insufficient support for the computational power industry chain. On the other hand, the planning and construction of computational and power networks lack coordinated oversight, and the linkage mechanism between computational scheduling and power regulation has yet to be established. The existing data barriers across industries hinder the optimized allocation and efficient use of computational power and electricity resources. Furthermore, the collaborative development of computational power and electricity involves interdisciplinary intersections and technology integrations, necessitating further breakthroughs in areas such as energy internet, smart grids, cloud computing, and edge computing to overcome critical technological bottlenecks.
Collaboration between computational power and electricity is an inevitable trend in the digital economy era. It requires a multifaceted approach involving policy, mechanisms, and technology to build an ecological system that supports the integration of computational power and electricity development. Firstly, it’s essential to enhance top-level design and policy incentives. This includes incorporating the collaborative development of computational power and electricity into national strategy, formulating relevant policies and plans, and defining development goals, key tasks, and support measures. Establishing cross-industry collaboration standards, such as evaluating energy efficiency and carbon impact of computational centers and implementing green electricity certification mechanisms, is crucial. Additionally, increasing financial subsidies and tax incentives can help reduce the cost of green computational power.
Secondly, improving collaborative mechanisms and market systems is vital. Establishing a trading mechanism for computational load participation in the electricity market and exploring a “electricity price-computational power price” linkage model are important steps. Promoting microgrid and virtual power plant models through distributed energy sources and computational centers can enhance regional energy self-balancing capabilities.
Thirdly, driving integrated development through technological innovation is key. Increasing research and development investments and encouraging collaborations between energy companies, internet giants, and research institutions can create an ecological chain of “technology research and development – scenario application – commercial closure.” Cultivating green computational power service providers that offer comprehensive services from green electricity procurement and energy efficiency optimization to carbon footprint management is essential.
The collaborative development of computational power and electricity is more than just a simple combination of technology and resources; it represents a deep integration of the energy revolution and the digital economy. Only through systemic innovation and cross-industry cooperation can we address the supply and demand contradictions between “bits” and “watts,” paving the way for a green, efficient, and high-quality development path. In the future, as policies are implemented, technologies are advanced, and ecosystems are refined, the collaboration between computational power and electricity may emerge as a “Chinese solution” for global energy transformation and socio-economic development.
