Inner Mongolia: Cool Steppes as Natural Cooling for Data Centers
Thanks to low temperatures and abundant renewable energy, this region in northern China is attracting tech companies. The city of Ulanqab has already launched 89 data center projects. Here is how CCTV+ reports it.
Tech companies are increasingly building data centers on the pastures of Inner Mongolia. The climate is cool, and renewable energy is plentiful — this helps boost computing power.
In Ulanqab, the average annual temperature is only 4.3 degrees Celsius. The city has become a natural "refrigerator" for data centers. Major AI companies have come here.
At one facility operated by ZDATA, engineers run emergency drills. "Two minutes for a report, five minutes for on-site inspection, ten minutes for troubleshooting," says Sun Wei, the center's director.
The number of server racks has quintupled in two years. Can the power grid handle it? Authorities have backed the construction of a dedicated power station. "Wind turbines and solar panels are located 16 kilometers away," says Li Chunxiao from Centrin Data.
The rise of data centers is also transforming education. At a local college, server rooms are inside classrooms. "What we taught last semester may be obsolete. Many of our teachers are working engineers," explains Liu Yong.
In the past, AI development was associated with scientists and programmers. Now it relies on an entire system: energy, operations, maintenance, and talent, Liu Yong emphasizes.
