China is rapidly building a national computing network, aiming to treat AI infrastructure as a public utility amid surging token demand and seeking new growth avenues for telecom operators.

China is stepping up construction of a “national computing network”, aiming to turn artificial intelligence infrastructure into a public utility as token usage surges and telecoms operators seek new growth engines beyond mobile data and phone bills. The push was highlighted by national broadcaster China Central Television and state-backed Xinhua news agency, which described the network as a “computing version of the state grid”. The reports likened tokens – the basic units of text, code and...