Chinese Solar Giant Jinko to Supply Power to Desert AI Data Center
June 4, 2026
Chinese Solar Giant Jinko to Supply Power to Desert AI Data Center
China’s leading solar manufacturer, Jinko Energy, has signed an agreement to supply renewable power to a major artificial intelligence data center located in the Gobi Desert, marking a significant step in integrating clean energy with the country’s rapidly expanding AI infrastructure. The deal underscores the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions to power energy-intensive AI computing workloads, particularly in remote regions where grid connectivity is limited.
Under the agreement, Jinko will provide solar-generated electricity to the data center, which is being developed as part of China’s broader push to establish large-scale AI computing hubs in western desert areas. The project leverages the region’s high solar irradiance and vast land availability to support the facility’s substantial power needs. While specific financial terms were not disclosed, the scale of the partnership is expected to involve hundreds of megawatts of solar capacity, aligning with China’s national strategy to pair renewable energy generation with digital infrastructure.
Industry analysts note that this collaboration highlights a critical trend: as AI model training and inference require exponentially more energy, data center operators are increasingly turning to off-grid or hybrid renewable sources to ensure cost stability and meet carbon neutrality goals. Jinko’s involvement also reflects the solar sector’s pivot toward serving high-tech industrial clients beyond traditional utility-scale projects.
Source: asia.nikkei
