JinkoSolar will supply power to and develop a 1 GW artificial-intelligence data center near the desert city of Zhongwei in western China [1].
The project marks a strategic expansion for the company as it enters the data center business. By leveraging its solar expertise to power energy-intensive AI computing, the company is aligning with national infrastructure goals to shift computing loads away from crowded eastern hubs.
The facility will be located in Ningxia, a region chosen for its vast desert landscapes and potential for large-scale renewable energy generation [1]. This development is part of the “Eastern Data, Western Computing” initiative, a state-led strategy designed to balance the distribution of data processing, and energy consumption across the country [2].
According to a framework agreement signed in 2026, the project aims to meet the surging demand for AI processing power [2]. The integration of a 1 GW [1] power supply directly with a data center represents a significant scale of dedicated renewable energy for a single computing cluster.
This move comes as JinkoSolar continues to dominate the global solar market. The company shipped 86.8 GW of modules in 2025 [3], securing its position as a leader in global sales for the seventh time [3].
By diversifying into the development of the data centers themselves, JinkoSolar is moving beyond the role of a hardware supplier. The company is now positioning itself as an integrated energy, and infrastructure provider for the AI era.
“JinkoSolar will supply power to and develop a 1 GW artificial-intelligence data center”
This project illustrates a growing trend of vertical integration where renewable energy providers build the infrastructure for the AI industries they power. By placing data centers in resource-rich western regions like Ningxia, China aims to reduce the carbon footprint of AI while alleviating the power grid strain on its coastal economic centers.
