On October 22, 2023, in Shijiazhuang, Zhang Ziyang, Chen Lin, and Zhang Chao reported that Hebei Province has achieved remarkable progress in computational power, ranking first in the national comprehensive computational power index and boasting Langfang and Zhangjiakou as the top two cities in the municipal computational power index. This has positioned Hebei as a frontrunner in the accelerating “computational power race,” translating computational strength into productivity.
Computational power serves as the foundation for the development of the digital economy. Zhao Zhiguo, chief engineer of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, recently stated at the 2024 China Computational Power Conference in Zhengzhou, Henan, that China has established over 8.3 million standard racks in computational centers, with a total computational capacity reaching 246 EFLOPS (exaflops, or quintillion floating-point operations per second), placing the country among the leaders globally.
During this conference, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology revealed the “China Comprehensive Computational Power Index (2024),” which shows Hebei leading the country. This marks the first time Hebei has secured the top spot in the comprehensive computational power index, with Langfang and Zhangjiakou achieving first and second place, respectively, in the city-specific index.
“Hebei’s impressive data is somewhat surprising, yet also expected,” said Zhang Yunquan, a research fellow at the Institute of Computing Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He attributed Hebei’s rise in the comprehensive computational power index to the early and accelerated development of its computational industry, particularly in areas like Langfang and Zhangjiakou. Moreover, as Hebei makes significant strides in building advanced computational infrastructure and improving its business environment, an increasing number of big data industries are gathering in the region, facilitating a deeper integration of the digital economy with the real economy.
As early as 2009, Langfang began seizing opportunities arising from the overflow of Beijing’s big data industry, proactively planning and establishing the Langfang Development Zone Big Data Industrial Park. Today, several leading artificial intelligence companies have set up data and computational centers there, highlighting the growing industrial cluster effect.
In Langfang, the construction of the Runze Artificial Intelligence Application Center, designed by Runze Technology Development Co., Ltd., is progressing steadily. This project aims to create a large-scale intelligent computational industry cluster for training and inferring massive AI models. The company’s representative noted that the choice to establish operations in Langfang was influenced by not only the local geographical and policy advantages but also the strong industrial foundation and business environment.
Meanwhile, in Zhangjiakou, often referred to as the “Winter Olympic City,” the big data industry is emerging as a new brand for the area. Baode Digital Industry (Hebei) Co., Ltd., located in the Qiaodong District, boasts an automated production line operating with high precision and efficiency. A company representative indicated that as a manufacturer of big data equipment, their success is largely attributed to the advantages of the local big data industry, allowing them to fill significant gaps in the local production chain.
Current data shows Zhangjiakou has completed and launched 30 data center projects, with over 370,000 operational server racks and 1.6 million servers, accounting for more than half of Hebei’s total computational capacity, which stands at approximately 22.8 petaflops. This comprehensive development enhances the entire industrial chain, including big data equipment manufacturing and research and application, indicating a positive growth trend.
Experts note that comprehensive computational power, which integrates computational, storage, and operational capabilities, is a driving force for accelerating the development of China’s digital economy. Hebei has been proactive in seizing opportunities presented by digital transformation, significantly enhancing its computational power level. By the end of 2023, Hebei had over 3.9 million operational servers and 35.2 EFLOPS of computational capacity, representing approximately 69% of the total computational power in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Zhang Yunquan emphasizes that the new generation of information technology—comprising big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the metaverse—relies fundamentally on computational power. This includes the continuous improvement and advancement of large AI models, underscoring the need for rapid enhancements in computational capacity. Such dynamics are fostering a favorable outlook on the potential of the computational power market across various regions.
Furthermore, Zhang notes that Hebei is accelerating the development of advanced computational infrastructure. He explained that the establishment of computational centers can provide affordable computational resources, which aids in attracting investments; facilitate data aggregation to eliminate barriers; and promote collaborative innovation in academia, industry, and research. “As more intelligent industry projects take root and develop in Hebei, computational power is not only becoming a new engine for the province’s economic growth but is also propelling high-quality economic development,” he concluded.
