China has approved plans for four mega data center clusters in the north and west parts of the country. The new facilities will support the needs of Beijing and major coastal cities. The facilities will be located in the northern Inner Mongolia region, northwestern Ningxia region, Gansu province, and southwestern Guizhou province.
Green energy
The biggest challenge for these locations is the distance that may cause delays
National Development and Reform Commission stated that the facilities will use their energy and environmental advantages. However, the biggest challenge for these locations is the distance, which can cause delays. Some of these locations are 1,600 or 2,000 kilometers away from Shanghai, an important city for the Chinese economy. According to Reuters and other online news sources, the country wants to increase the size of its big data industry to a $470 billion business before 2025.
To achieve its goals, China should also overcome some geographical difficulties, including cooling and humidity. China also has plans to move some of the high energy-consuming data centers underwater to make it easier to cool the facilities.