Supercomputing, new energy empower China's innovative development

Supercomputers can optimize energy production and distribution networks, enabling smarter and more efficient use of clean energy resources and accelerating research and development in related technologies for further advancements.

Southwest China's Guizhou Province is undergoing a remarkable transformation powered by supercomputing power and new energy, propelling the region towards a future of innovation, sustainability and economic prosperity.

In recent years, the region has seized industrial opportunities, vigorously developed emerging industries, such as the digital economy, as well as new-energy batteries and materials, and constantly cultivated new economic growth points.

In 2023, Guizhou's GDP surpassed 2.09 trillion yuan (about $294.15 billion), up 4.9 percent year on year, with the digital economy contributing about 42 percent of its GDP. It will seek to ensure its digital economy accounts for over 45 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, exceeding 1 trillion yuan in scale.

For 2024, the province has set its regional gross domestic product (GDP) growth target at about 5.5 percent, according to the annual session of the provincial people's congress.

The added value of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in Guizhou will increase by about 3.5 percent, 6 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the per capita disposable incomes of urban and rural residents in the province will rise by around 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

Supercomputing power

In early 2022, China initiated a program to encourage the construction of computing power infrastructure in more western regions, as they boast an adequate supply of electricity. Guizhou is one of the eight national computing power hubs. And the Gui'an data center cluster is one of the 10 such national clusters.

The cluster now has seven super-large data centers for three telecom giants, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, and tech giants Apple, Tencent and Huawei.

Since the province was approved to build the country's first national, comprehensive big-data pilot zone in 2016, Guizhou has become the frontrunner in the country's big-data industry.

This immense computing power attracts leading tech companies and research institutions, fostering collaborations and advancements in fields like artificial intelligence, big data analysis and materials science. The super-computing hub also fuels the growth of local tech startups and entrepreneurs, creating a vibrant innovation ecosystem within the province.

Guizhou currently has 39 major data centers in operation or under construction, according to local authorities. The region has become one of the leading regions in China in terms of its number of super-large data centers, according to the provincial big data development administration bureau.

Lou Song, deputy director of the bureau, said the compound growth rate of the provincial digital economy has reached 18.1 percent over the past five years, ranking first in the country.

The province also promoted the digital transformation and upgrading of enterprises, and the proportion of Guizhou's digital economy in its GDP had increased from 23.6 percent in 2017 to 39.1 percent in 2022.

Peng Xianhua, deputy director of the provincial development and reform commission, said that Guizhou saw breakthrough growth in its computing power last year as one of eight designated national computing hubs, with over 70,000 intelligent computing chips now in use in the province, a 93-fold year-on-year increase.

In addition, the province has reached a milestone in 5G infrastructure construction, deploying 35,000 new base stations across key areas, industrial parks and transport hubs last year.

New energy boom

Guizhou generated a record-high 23.97 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind and photovoltaic power in 2023, registering a 15 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Guizhou branch of the China Southern Power Grid.

By 2023, the installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power in Guizhou accounted for more than 27 percent of the total, and the utilization rate of new energy power reached 99.51 percent.

With the installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power continuing to increase, the Guizhou branch has built an integrated platform that can observe, measure and control new energy generation.

So far, the platform has monitored the real-time data of 210 new energy stations across the province, including the operating power, unit models, meteorological information and other related parameters.

It also boasts an accuracy rate of over 85 percent in predicting new energy generation, offering a reliable foundation for decisions on energy optimization.

Guizhou is targeting a 15-percent year-on-year value-added increase in its new energy vehicle (NEV) industry in 2024, according to the annual session of the Guizhou Provincial People's Congress.

It is also expected that the added value of the new-energy battery and materials industry in the province will register a 15 percent year-on-year growth in 2024.

The province will give full play to industry-leading enterprises, including China's battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) and automaker BYD, to promote the upgrading of technologies and products of industrial chain enterprises, said Li Bingjun, governor of Guizhou.

Last year, a new energy power and energy storage battery manufacturing base with an annual production capacity of 30 gigawatt hours (GWh) constructed by CATL started operation in Guizhou. By 2025, Guizhou aims to develop into an important research and development (R&D) and production center for new energy-powered batteries and materials.

Based on an industrial foundation consisting of new-energy batteries and materials, Guizhou is seeking to build a complete industrial chain ranging from new-energy batteries and materials to NEVs as the final product.

Zou Fa, deputy director of the Industry and Information Technology Bureau of Fuquan City, Guizhou, told China Media Group that "some of the production lines of our new energy enterprises here are still under construction. We need to coordinate and tackle difficulties and go back and forth between the units."

In 2023, Guizhou installed 6,000 new charging piles for electric vehicles. Meanwhile, among the new and upgraded public buses and taxis used across the province, NEVs accounted for 100 percent and 97.4 percent of the total, respectively.

Guizhou's exploration of super-computing power and new energy offers a glimpse into the future of China's development. By harnessing these powerful forces, the province is poised to become a leader in innovation, sustainability and economic prosperity, setting an example for others to follow.

The region's journey leveraging supercomputing and new energy presents exciting opportunities for the region and beyond. The development of high-tech industries and clean energy solutions will attract investments and create high-paying jobs, boosting the provincial economy. 

In the future, Guizhou's model can serve as a blueprint for other regions seeking to transition towards clean energy and sustainable development. International partnerships in research and development can leverage Guizhou's unique strengths and accelerate progress in various fields.