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When construction workers began arriving to build data centers in Ulanqab, a farming city in China’s Inner Mongolia region, grocery store owner Ma Rong discovered an unexpected benefit from the country’s artificial intelligence boom.
“Before, we’d just sit there and wait for customers,” Ma told CNN. “Now we’re constantly busy.”
The region is buzzing with activity as workers build data centers, enormous facilities housing thousands of powerful computers that power AI systems, turning Inner Mongolia from a region known for coal mining and farming into a major technology center. Its cheap electricity, cold climate and available land have been attracting investment, creating jobs and helping China challenge US dominance in AI.
“Inner Mongolia has a lot of land … that’s very cheap. It also has a huge amount of electricity, which is very, very cheap,” a Financial Times corresponde...
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