The report stated that the development of global green computing power has entered its early stages, and that such development in China is currently in good shape.
China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 by establishing green and low-carbon data centers with higher efficiency and less power consumption. A development research report on green computing was released at the first China Green Computing Power Conference.
The pursuit of green and low-carbon computing power, also known as sustainable computing, is described in the report as a key objective for the high-quality development of the technology.
In order to assess the overall outlook for the development of green computing power in China, it established an effective, low-carbon, intelligent, and intensive development framework and examined the development trends of key factors affecting its effectiveness.
The report stated that the development of global green computing power has entered its early stages, and that such development in China is currently in good shape. Green computing power aims to maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact in the ways computer chips, systems, and software are designed and used.
The conference was held in Hohhot City, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of north China, from July 1 to 3, with the intention of providing a venue for showcasing the successes of green computing power and bolstering Hohhot’s prominence in China’s strategic project to direct computing resources from the east to the west.
The widespread adoption of green computing power in 2022 resulted in a reduction in electricity consumption by the entire society of close to 19.5 billion kWh, or more than 16 million tonnes of carbon emissions, or roughly half of the annual electricity consumption in the city of Hohhot, according to Xu Zhifa, director of the industrial planning institute at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
Hohhot’s deputy mayor, Zhang Jifei, emphasised the city’s unique advantages for the development of green computing power.
Hohhot is a prime location for the development of energy-efficient big data centres due to its abundance of renewable energy resources, including over 21% of the country’s solar energy and over 57% of the nation’s solar energy.
Vice President of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology Wang Zhiqin emphasised that computing power will be the primary factor influencing the development of digital technology in a variety of industries.
Wang also emphasised how China’s dual carbon goals and sustainable development strategy would promote the long-term growth of the green and low-carbon computing power industry and facilitate comprehensive digital transformation in all spheres of society.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China currently holds the second-largest computing power in the world (MIIT).
By the end of 2022, the nation’s total computing power had increased by nearly 30 percent annually to 180EFlops, and its total storage capacity had surpassed a trillion gigabytes.
The core computing power market had a size of 1.8 trillion yuan, or roughly $260 billion. According to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, each yuan spent on computing power will increase China’s GDP by 3 to 4 yuan.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled a plan for the industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period in addition to the growth of the big data sector (2021-2025).
By the end of 2025, the big data market in China is expected to be worth more than 3 trillion yuan ($474 billion), with a compound annual growth rate of about 25%.
China approved a massive project in 2022 to construct eight national computing hubs, and it intends to construct ten national data centre clusters as part of its strategy to shift more computing resources from the eastern regions of the country to the western regions, which are less developed but resource-rich.
According to the National Development and Reform Commission, the project’s implementation will help advance green development, use green energy in western regions, and continuously improve data centres’ energy efficiency.
People are working hard to revive a sluggish economy and promote green and low-carbon transformation as the world is changing quickly.
People have to deal with issues like changing consumer demand, climate change, disruptive technologies, and uncertainty regarding the global economic recovery.
According to Tao Kuangchun, chairman of KPMG Asia Pacific and China, among them, climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and people need to take action quickly to reduce carbon emissions and switch to sustainable growth.
The key trends in the upcoming years will be digital and green transformation, which will present both opportunities and challenges. According to Tao, the two transformations are crucial, intertwined, and essential to one another’s success.
China has set an ambitious goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 and reach its peak carbon emissions by 2030 as a major economy willing to take on corresponding obligations.
Since everyone has a stake in combating global climate change, achieving these goals won’t be simple and will require collective action. According to the expert, it is essential for various parties to strengthen cooperation and make innovation a key driver of global digital development.