Data and computing power, though intangible, are deeply connected to daily life. The "East Data West Computing" initiative involves the orderly redirection of computing demand from eastern regions to the west. How exactly does this project function? A recent visit to Qingyang, Gansu Province, provided some answers. Despite the lingering chill on the Loess Plateau after the start of spring, a surge in the digital economy is palpable. As one of the eight national integrated computing network hubs and ten major data center clusters, Qingyang is advancing into the digital frontier, propelled by this national strategic project.
Within the Qingyang East Data West Computing Industrial Park, discussions with park management, telecommunications operators, and computing firms revealed the city's progress toward becoming a "China Computing Valley." At Gansu Shouyun Zhisuan Technology Co., Ltd., General Manager Yang Gaoxiang demonstrated an AI application that simulated an interviewer's questions. "In the future, everyone could have multiple high-level intelligent assistants to quickly process vast amounts of data and generate content tailored to our needs, enhancing efficiency in work and life," Yang stated. A subsidiary of Beijing Capital Online Technology Co., Ltd., Shouyun Zhisuan plans to build high-performance GPU computing clusters, creating a new cross-border computing service model of "overseas access, domestic computation, Qingyang aggregation," serving areas like AI model training and inference, cloud rendering, and scientific computing.
As the East Data West Computing project advances, Qingyang's favorable climate, stable geology, and policy support have made it a preferred location for computing firms expanding westward. Among those establishing a presence alongside Capital Online is Gansu Yisuan Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. Yisuan Intelligent has already built a 2,500 Petaflop computing cluster, which has maintained nearly 80% utilization since commencing operations in 2024. The company serves prominent clients such as Meitu, Wu Wen Xin Qiong, and Zhongke Beilong, with its computing power widely applied in AI training, high-definition image processing, and visual generation. For instance, the intelligent image generation features of Meitu's products rely on Qingyang's computing resources for efficient and stable operation.
"Last year, we completed the 10,000-card deployment of the full DeepSeek model and secured contracts with clients like Wu Wen Xin Qiong and Zhongke Beilong Computing Cloud. We also partnered with Tencent Cloud and Suiyuan Technology to begin constructing a 100,000-card domestic intelligent computing cluster," explained Mi Liuyang, Qingyang Operations Manager at Gansu Yisuan Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. Through technical collaboration with Suiyuan Technology, Yisuan Intelligent has achieved full-chain independent innovation in computing infrastructure, offering cost-effective computing services that precisely meet the demands of enterprises in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta regions, laying a foundation of localized computing power for the national strategy.
As one of the eight national computing hubs, Qingyang offers significant advantages in policy support, network bandwidth, park facilities, and low-latency transmission, providing robust support for large-scale operations of computing enterprises. Mi Liuyang noted that leveraging these hub benefits allows them to precisely align with eastern demand, integrating quickly into the national computing industry chain through stable, efficient, and economical computing leasing services.
Operating year-round, the Qingyang data center cluster's stability during the Spring Festival is crucial for the continuous operation of national AI training, cloud services, and data processing. At the China Telecom East Data West Computing National Hub Qingyang Computing Center, a large screen in the command hall displays the status of the environmental monitoring system and various equipment rooms. "Our environmental system deploys over 3,000 intelligent sensors to centrally monitor parameters like temperature, humidity, and equipment performance, enabling quick fault identification and resolution," said Zhe Xingchen, a maintenance engineer at the center. During the holiday, non-essential operations were suspended, with a dual-layer duty system ensuring rapid response to any incidents.
In the exhibition hall of the industrial park, a digital door opens to reveal the overall layout, computing capabilities, construction progress, and enterprise clustering. The park spans a planned area of 17,000 mu, featuring six functional zones: hub resource scheduling, comprehensive support, digital talent training base, intelligent computing, intelligent production, and smart applications. "The intelligent computing zone already has operational projects from China Energy Engineering Corporation, Qinhuai Data, China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom," said Su Wenchang, Deputy Director of the Qingyang East Data West Computing Industrial Park Management Committee. The park has achieved "seven connections and one leveling," with a comprehensive road network and complete supporting utilities.
Computing power is the core productive force of the digital economy. One Petaflop represents one quadrillion floating-point operations per second, equivalent to the combined power of about 500 high-performance computers. "Current computing power is mainly categorized into three types: general computing centers using CPU-based servers for basic needs; intelligent computing centers focused on AI training and inference with GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs; and supercomputing centers serving high-precision fields like aerospace and climate modeling," explained Lu Xianya, a staff member of the park management committee. The Qingyang park distinguishes itself with a high proportion of intelligent computing. Additionally, its wind-network fleet provides general computing, while the power-network fleet specializes in intelligent computing, forming a comprehensive supply system.
In terms of industrial aggregation, Qingyang has established an integrated investment mechanism for the digital economy, engaging with 7,097 digital enterprises, signing 1,632, and registering 523 subsidiaries. "If you take a photo on a Malaysian beach and use Meitu to edit it, the computing power might come from here," Su Wenchang remarked. Leading model firms like Baidu, Zhipu AI, and Baichuan AI, core chip companies such as Loongson Technology and Suiyuan Technology, and AI ecosystem players like Kingsoft Cloud, Meitu, Xiaohongshu, and Kuaishou have set up operations, creating a synergistic "front shop, back factory" model with cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. To date, the park has 11 operational data centers, with 6 under construction, featuring 102,000 standard racks and a total computing power of 114,000 Petaflops, 99% of which is intelligent computing.