China builds AI data centres in Inner Mongolia

September 23, 2026 at 03:04 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

China is building a cluster of AI data centres in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, with construction underway on multiple phases. The facilities are central to Beijing's goal of embedding AI across 90% of industries by 2030. The build-out proceeds even as President Trump and Xi Jinping meet to discuss AI safety.

Key Facts

Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, is hosting construction of multiple data centre phases, with one phase completed each year.
China aims to embed AI across 90% of industries and society by 2030.
President Trump said last week, "Whoever wins AI, wins."
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for keeping the US-led ban on advanced chips and equipment sales to China.

Data Centre Construction

Hundreds of workers in yellow helmets are building data centres in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, with welding sparks flying and cranes moving to construct rooftops. An electrical engineer at the site said one phase is completed every year, and many more phases will follow. The data centres will provide computing power for China's AI platforms, which the Chinese Communist Party views as critical for economic and national security.

Talent and AI Ambitions

Jack Zhang from the University of Science and Technology of China said fewer students and researchers are heading to the US and more are returning to China. Zhang, who studied at Yale and Cambridge, was recruited by a high-level programme and said he wanted to apply AI work to human health and medicine, which requires resources and government support difficult to access overseas. China's expanding AI capabilities are one reason the US says it does not want to pause its AI development.

US-China AI Rivalry

President Trump said last week, "Whoever wins AI, wins." Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for keeping the US-led ban on selling advanced chips and equipment to China, warning that a Chinese lead would pose grave danger for the US and the world. Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Wednesday.