China’s ambitious push to build high-quality data infrastructure is driving the fast commercialization of artificial intelligence, with daily token usage soaring over 1,000-fold in just two years, government officials report.
At a State Council press briefing, Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, highlighted the country’s strategy of pairing AI development with robust data resources: “Wherever AI develops, high-quality data sets will follow.”
To address fragmentation in the nation’s data ecosystem, 26 government departments have coordinated 104 pilot projects, creating a collaborative framework led by key industry players and supported by multi-stakeholder participation, joint research, and shared access.
By the end of 2025, China had built more than 100,000 high-quality data sets, forming the backbone of its rapidly growing AI sector.
The growth in token usage — the smallest unit of data processed by large AI models — indicates a tipping point for commercial applications. Daily token consumption skyrocketed from 100 billion at the start of 2024 to 100 trillion by the end of 2025, and has now surpassed 140 trillion as of March 2026.
Liu described tokens as a quantifiable bridge between technological supply and commercial demand, serving as the foundation for emerging AI business models and enabling precise measurement, pricing, and trading of computing and data usage.
The surge in token usage also reflects the rapid monetization of AI services. Some AI model companies reportedly generated more revenue in just 20 days than in the entirety of 2025, underscoring the unprecedented speed at which AI commercial ecosystems are evolving in China.
Insight for global readers: China’s AI market is transitioning from innovation to commercialization at an extraordinary pace. With massive data infrastructure, token-based pricing mechanisms, and an expanding ecosystem of AI services, the country is positioning itself as a global leader in AI-driven industries and digital economy innovation.