On 8 April 2026, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the National Energy Administration (NEA), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and the National Data Administration jointly issued the “Action Plan for Promoting the Mutual Empowerment of Artificial Intelligence and Energy”. The plan links two rapidly developing policy priorities: ensuring sufficient low-carbon electricity for expanding computing infrastructure and accelerating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across China’s energy system.
The initiative reflects China’s growing focus on the relationship between energy and AI. On the one hand, the country aims to ensure that rising computing demand can be supplied with low-carbon energy. On the other hand, it seeks to use AI technologies to improve the operation, flexibility and efficiency of the energy system.
The Action Plan builds on a series of policy steps that began in August 2025, when the Chinese government defined AI as a core cross-cutting technology for industrial modernisation. This was followed in September 2025 by the first sector-specific “AI+” strategy for energy and in December 2025 by a call for concrete pilot projects.
The April 2026 Action Plan marks a shift from simply deploying AI in the energy sector towards a two-way relationship: ensuring that AI computing infrastructure is supplied with clean power, while using AI to make the energy system smarter and more efficient. China aims to be a global leader in both clean energy for AI and AI applications in energy by 2030, treating the expected surge in power demand from AI as both an energy policy and an industrial policy challenge that requires regulatory, technical and financial preparation.
To support the electricity needs of AI infrastructure, the Action Plan encourages data centres and computing facilities to locate in regions with abundant renewable energy resources and to expand the use of green electricity trading and Green Electricity Certificates. To accelerate AI deployment in the energy sector, the plan proposes prioritising applications in areas such as grid operation and renewable energy generation forecasting. It also calls for standards for energy datasets and the development of shared data platforms.
In a follow-up move, the NEA released a list of 51 high-value “AI+” energy scenarios in June 2026 and invited energy companies to team up with AI tech firms to run pilot projects based on these real-world use cases. Companies can apply online, with a submission deadline of 30 July 2026.
By 2027, China aims to establish the foundations of a secure, green and economical energy system that supports AI development. By 2030, the government aims to strengthen both clean energy supply for AI computing infrastructure and the deployment of AI technologies across the energy sector.
Comparison with the EU’s “Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy”
The European Commission has recently published a “Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in Energy”. The initiative aims to strengthen the EU’s energy security, competitiveness, and technological sovereignty while addressing the rapidly growing energy demand from digital infrastructure.
It focuses on the sustainable integration of data centres into the energy sector, the accelerated deployment of digital and AI solutions across the energy value chain and the establishment of a secure framework for cross-border energy data sharing.
The Commission emphasises that demand-side flexibility enabled by digital technologies could reduce electricity costs for European consumers by 64% due to a reduction in electricity consumption. AI-based optimisation of operations and maintenance could also generate savings of up to €94 billion annually by 2035.
The two strategies address similar challenges but place different emphasis on them. The EU’s Strategic Roadmap focuses on how to use AI to make the energy system more flexible, efficient and secure, while strengthening technological sovereignty. China’s Action Plan, in contrast, places greater emphasis on the parallel development of AI infrastructure, electricity supply and AI applications in the energy sector.
The EU Roadmap identifies priority areas including grid technology, data platforms, interoperability solutions, flexibility markets and trustworthy AI for critical infrastructure. The Chinese Action Plan covers a broader range of policy areas across the value chain, from data centres and power supply to energy technology, AI models and industrial applications.
Original Policies:
National Energy Administration, April 8, at https://www.nea.gov.cn/20260508/4dae97ca01d348e4871bb8654be34b3a/c.html
National Energy Administration, May 26, at https://www.nea.gov.cn/20260526/261bbb10eea24be3b7ea3a00d89b8891/c.html
Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission, June 3, at https://energy.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-presents-measures-digitalise-europes-energy-system-while-ensuring-sustainable-2026-06-03_en
