By Efosa Udinmwen

Copyright techradar

Skip to main content

Tech Radar Pro

Tech Radar Gaming

Close main menu

the business technology experts

België (Nederlands)

Deutschland

North America

US (English)

Australasia

New Zealand

View Profile

Search TechRadar

Expert Insights

Website builders

Web hosting

Best web hosting
Best office chairs
Best website builder
Best antivirus
Expert Insights

Don’t miss these

Like with EVs, China could flood its domestic market with affordable surplus computer power in a desperate attempt to improve data center viability nationwide

AI’s infrastructure problem is bigger than we think—here’s how to solve it

Global AI usage surge could cause US electricity prices to increase by 18% within years – and that’s just the beginning

Data center expansions could bring destruction to the British countryside – and consumers might foot the bill

Open AI’s massive Project Stargate is already struggling, may be scaled back

Meta pledges to spend billions on AI infrastructure – but will this help it catch up in the AI race

Data center infrastructure is the “unsung foundation” of the Government’s ambitious AI agenda

Stargate is back on – OpenAI and Oracle unveil massive data center expansion plans in major AI push

A massive Wyoming data center will soon use 5x more power than the state’s human occupants – but no one knows who is using it

Sam Altman’s vision for AI is huge – but there’s just one thing standing in his way

Huawei throws massive 1-million NPU gauntlet at Nvidia and AMD as it positions itself an alternative to US AI giants

Chaos at DeepSeek as R2 launch crashes into hardware problems – rivals gain huge advantage

China could move away from Nvidia AI chips quicker than expected after brash ‘addiction’ comments from US Commerce Secretary

Meta unveils new plans for multi-gigawatt datacenter clusters the size of Manhattan

Microsoft announces “world’s most powerful data center” in latest billion-dollar AI spending splurge

China’s Project Stargate rival is pushing new data centers across the country – and swallowing up farmland to do so

Efosa Udinmwen

27 September 2025

Idle inland data centers reveal flaws in China’s earlier expansion strategy

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future)

China turns farmland into data centers to compete with American AI dominance
Wuhu’s $37 billion project highlights Beijing’s urgency in artificial intelligence
Export restrictions leave China relying heavily on less powerful local chips

China’s ambitions in artificial intelligence have gained new visibility through its plan to develop a domestic alternative to the massive Project Stargate being pursued in the United States by OpenAI and Oracle.

While the American initiative is expected to support up to two million AI chips, Beijing is advancing its own version anchored by a $37 billion project in Wuhu.
Although far smaller than the $500 billion price tag linked to Stargate, the Chinese project is designed to consolidate existing computing capacity into a more centralized network.

You may like

Like with EVs, China could flood its domestic market with affordable surplus computer power in a desperate attempt to improve data center viability nationwide

AI’s infrastructure problem is bigger than we think—here’s how to solve it

Global AI usage surge could cause US electricity prices to increase by 18% within years – and that’s just the beginning

The Wuhu project and its scale
The site selected for this project is in Wuhu, eastern China, and it covers former rice fields along a 760-acre island in the Yangtze River basin.

This land, once devoted to food production, is being converted into a “data island” for four of the country’s largest technology operators: Huawei, China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom.
By situating the new “mega-cluster” of data centers near major cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing, planners hope to deliver faster inference services to dense urban populations.
Beginning in 2022, China encouraged the construction of server farms in interior provinces with cheap power supplies.

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Yet these sites often sat idle, as local governments reallocated capacity to areas where demand was higher.
The new plan attempts to fix that by linking both urban and remote data centers through Huawei’s UB-Mesh technology.
This technology can provide redundancy while allowing unused compute power to be sold.

You may like

Like with EVs, China could flood its domestic market with affordable surplus computer power in a desperate attempt to improve data center viability nationwide

AI’s infrastructure problem is bigger than we think—here’s how to solve it

Global AI usage surge could cause US electricity prices to increase by 18% within years – and that’s just the beginning

The Wuhu project’s subsidies, which reportedly cover as much as 30% of AI chip procurement costs, further reflect Beijing’s urgency to make the new clusters operational.
China currently holds about 15% of global AI compute power, far less than the United States’ estimated 75%.
Export restrictions have blocked access to advanced GPUs from Nvidia, leaving domestic suppliers unable to fully match foreign performance.
That gap has created incentives for smuggling hardware, although officials seem intent on developing self-sufficient AI stacks to reduce dependence on overseas sources.
The long-term aim is that such infrastructure will allow both companies and individuals to deploy more sophisticated AI tools.
Whether local chips can support this ambition remains uncertain compared to Western options powering major data centers abroad.
The conversion of farmland into server space raises questions about sustainability, resource allocation, and energy demand.
Supporters view the projects as vital for narrowing the technological divide, while skeptics point out the costs of diverting agricultural land and the uncertainty of relying on less powerful local chips.
Via Toms Hardware
You might also like

Expert says $5 kitchen gadget could help you live longer by making you use your standing desk better
These are the best cloud hosting providers
We’ve listed all of the best AI writers available at the moment

Efosa Udinmwen

Freelance Journalist

Efosa has been writing about technology for over 7 years, initially driven by curiosity but now fueled by a strong passion for the field. He holds both a Master’s and a PhD in sciences, which provided him with a solid foundation in analytical thinking. Efosa developed a keen interest in technology policy, specifically exploring the intersection of privacy, security, and politics. His research delves into how technological advancements influence regulatory frameworks and societal norms, particularly concerning data protection and cybersecurity. Upon joining TechRadar Pro, in addition to privacy and technology policy, he is also focused on B2B security products. Efosa can be contacted at this email: udinmwenefosa@gmail.com

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Like with EVs, China could flood its domestic market with affordable surplus computer power in a desperate attempt to improve data center viability nationwide

AI’s infrastructure problem is bigger than we think—here’s how to solve it

Global AI usage surge could cause US electricity prices to increase by 18% within years – and that’s just the beginning

Data center expansions could bring destruction to the British countryside – and consumers might foot the bill

Open AI’s massive Project Stargate is already struggling, may be scaled back

Meta pledges to spend billions on AI infrastructure – but will this help it catch up in the AI race

Latest in Pro

Watch out – hackers are using AI to make phishing emails even more convincing

Nearly 150,000 patient records exposed in major healthcare data breach – here’s what we know

This graph alone shows how global AI power consumption is getting out of hand very quickly – and it’s not just about hyperscalers or OpenAI

This devious malware has jumped from Meta over to Google Ads and YouTube to spread – here’s how to stay safe

Microsoft flags dangerous XCSSET macOS malware targeting developers – so be on your guard

I helped create Amazon’s Alexa – here’s why I think businesses should embrace humanity’s analogous imperfection to succeed

Latest in News

YouTube Music is testing a new feature that sounds a lot like Spotify’s AI DJ

New Samsung Galaxy Z Tri-fold leaks hint at key software and camera zoom features

You can now use Google’s viral Nano Banana AI directly in Photoshop

ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories from Apple’s response to ‘Scratchgate’ and the ROG Xbox Ally’s price reveal

Is the DJI Mini 5 Pro really a legal nightmare? Here’s what the world’s big drone regulators told me

Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, September 28 (game #1343)

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Contact Future’s experts

Terms and conditions

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Advertise with us

Web notifications

Accessibility Statement

Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait…