Computing Power Gets Cheaper: How China Makes AI Accessible to Everyone
An 80% drop in cost per request, a fivefold increase in cache capacity — all on the same hardware. Major AI model providers, including DeepSeek and Xiaomi MiMo, have launched aggressive price cuts.
As reported by CCTV+, computing power prices in China continue to fall thanks to the rapid expansion and standardization of computing infrastructure across the country. Once an expensive resource, it is now becoming more affordable for businesses and individuals.
Several major AI model providers recently announced permanent price reductions. DeepSeek and Xiaomi MiMo stand out with their aggressive measures. These steps significantly lower the cost of everyday AI applications — such as FAQs, web design, programming, and other routine tasks — making advanced AI tools far more accessible.
Yang Bo, technical lead of Xiaomi MiMo's large model development team, explained: "By increasing cache capacity fivefold, we can now process nearly five times as many requests using the same hardware and computing resources. This has reduced the average cost per request by 80 percent."
China's three largest telecom operators — China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom — have introduced affordable subscription packages and launched relevant services on the national computing power platform. China Telecom offers tailored solutions for developers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as private and family users. China Mobile provides AI-powered code development subscriptions, supporting code generation, verification, and architecture design. China Unicom uses a flexible points‑based billing system, well suited for corporate office applications and intelligent agent deployment.
China's national computing power platform was created to address the key challenges SMEs face in digital transformation — difficult access to computing power and high costs. The shift to token‑based services allows smaller businesses to obtain the computing power they need without major capital investment.
Humanity has always sought to make energy cheaper — first steam, then electricity. Today, it is the turn of computing power. When a powerful algorithm ceases to be the privilege of giants and becomes as accessible as water from a tap, we enter a new era: an era where artificial intelligence works for anyone ready to ask a question.
