China’s He Lifeng calls for more financial support for AI and computing

The vice premier's Shanxi tour tied computing power, electricity and investment into one national priority China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng wants more money flowing into artificial intelligence and computing. His message is simple: the country’s AI ambitions need serious financial backing to become real infrastructure. The call came during an inspection tour of Shanxi Province on November 1-2, 2026. When an official of He’s rank tours a province and talks about investment, local governments and state lenders tend to take notes. What He Lifeng said in Shanxi He visited energy, technology and renewables projects in the cities of Datong and Shuozhou. His central theme was linking two things that usually get planned separately: computing power and electricity. He pressed for faster, coordinated development of both, along with the build-out of computing power networks. He also stressed the need for effective investment to support these goals. His recent statements have put financing for infrastructure at the center of the push to integrate AI across Chinese industries. He framed the effort as essential to high-quality growth and technological upgrading. He singled out power-dependent sect...