Inside Inner Mongolia, China's fastest-growing AI data center region, where construction is accelerating with low building cost and no public backlash (SemiAnalysis)

Inner Mongolia has become China's fastest-growing region for AI data center construction, characterized by low building costs and a lack of public backlash, according to SemiAnalysis. Notable developments in the area include a wind-powered 800MW campus that saw 120MW built within a single year, a 5MW SST-native 800V DC pilot, and a cooling design that operates without central chillers.

In the city of Ulanqab, once known as China's "potato capital," sprawling data centers are replacing potato farms. Channel News Asia reports that this construction boom is transforming local livelihoods; for example, in the village of Shengjiaying, developers began approaching residents for land approximately two years ago. While the shift has provided some farmers with more money, the expansion is raising questions regarding water sustainability in the drought-prone region.

Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, Channel News Asia — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.