Sci-tech board smart grid firms: AI computing power demand is fastest-growing new variable

What Achievements Have Been Made in New-Type Power Grid Construction?

The third season, second episode of Shanghai Stock Exchange Market · Hardcore Tech Guests invited three leading科创板-listed companies in the new-type power grid sector to discuss the direction and roadmap for "re-evolution" following the "awakening of computing power."

Shanghai Stock Exchange Market · Hardcore Tech Guests is a high-end, highly integrated multimedia interview program co-produced by the Shanghai Stock Exchange and China Business Journal.

Guests unanimously agreed that China's new-type power grid construction achieved significant milestones during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The most prominent achievements include:

• The combined installed capacity of wind and solar power historically surpassed thermal power, becoming the largest power source in China.
• The ultra-high voltage (UHV) backbone grid for new energy was largely established, enabling a leap in cross-regional resource allocation capacity.
• Grid operation modes are accelerating the shift from "source following load" to "source-grid-load-storage coordinated interaction."
• New energy grid-connection support capabilities, centered on SVG and energy storage, have been fully deployed, along with pumped-storage hydropower.

Meanwhile, listed companies in the new-type power grid sector have achieved major breakthroughs across multiple key areas, strongly supporting the accelerated construction of new power systems and the historic transformation of the energy structure.

Zhang Jianhui (Haibo Sichuang) stated that the company's energy storage achievements are concentrated in three areas: an eight-fold increase in energy density (now 8,000 kWh in a standard 20-foot container); deep integration of AI technology throughout the energy storage lifecycle; and expansion of application scenarios through an "Energy Storage + X" strategy into independent storage, solar-storage integration, oil fields, mines, and data centers.

Hu Shunquan (New风光) noted that over the past five years, the company's high-voltage reactive power compensation device (SVG) was recognized as a National Manufacturing单项冠军 and won a second-class National Science and Technology Progress Award, with over 10,000 units deployed globally. The company's 100 MW-level high-voltage cascade energy storage has achieved large-scale deployment, with related technologies passing international leading-level assessments. The company is also addressing AI-related power quality challenges.

Nie Shugang (Zhiyang Innovation) explained that the company continues to participate in the transformation of grid operation and maintenance from manual inspection to online, digital, and intelligent modes. Its AI terminals have been applied across all voltage levels. Transmission solutions have been deployed in major projects such as the "Ximeng–Shandong 1000kV UHV Line" and the "Xiangjiaba–Shanghai ±800kV UHV DC Transmission Line." The company has formed a synergy of six technology platforms, including a one-stop AI platform, big data digital twins, AI agents, and drones.

What Are the Underlying Driving Forces?

In recent years, new-type power grid construction has advanced rapidly. What factors are driving this?

Su Chen identified three main drivers: the pressure to integrate new energy under the "dual carbon" goals, the demand for computing power driven by the AI boom, and the strategic consideration of energy autonomy amid geopolitical tensions.

The guests noted that these three drivers carry different weights and roles.

Zhang Jianhui pointed out: "Reducing dependence on external fossil fuels to ensure energy autonomy and security is the strategic foundation. The 'dual carbon' goals and new energy integration are the core推力 and the most direct driver of grid transformation. Computing power demand is a key factor for future industry growth." He added that the AI boom has made electricity a critical resource, and the state is promoting "computing-power-grid coordination" and encouraging "green power direct connection" to shift computing loads to regions rich in new energy.

Hu Shunquan summarized: "The new-type power grid essentially integrates new energy, storage, and loads to reduce external dependence—this is a long-term national strategic commitment. New energy integration is the most direct and tangible real-world driver. AI computing power demand, while currently smaller in scale than the first two, is growing the fastest and represents a clear new increment." He concluded: "The strategic底色 is energy autonomy, current orders depend on new energy integration, and future growth relies on computing power demand."

Nie Shugang agreed that energy security is the foundation, new energy integration is the current main line, and computing power demand is a rapidly rising new variable. "Behind all this is the national energy security strategy and the requirements for building a new power system," he said. AI and data centers are driving high-growth, high-reliability electricity demand, and the computing power network and power grid are shifting from "separate planning" to "computing-power-grid coordination."

What New Opportunities Do New Demands Bring?

2026 marks the start of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, bringing new development opportunities for new-type power grid construction. How to anchor the next phase of development and precisely seize opportunities from new demands tests the business acumen of industry companies.

Zhang Jianhui stated: "During the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, we expect to see a coordinated pattern with large-scale energy storage as the current focus, computing-power integration as the key growth pole, and digitalization as the foundational support." He noted that new energy storage is a highly certain赛道, driving rapid development across the industrial chain, while computing-power coordination is the most variable and highest-growth赛道.

Hu Shunquan also believes that large-scale energy storage is the foundation of the entire new-type power grid and offers the most investment value. Computing-power integration is the clearest new growth pole, and digitalization is the underlying enabler across all segments. "Large-scale energy storage is far from reaching its ceiling. During the '15th Five-Year Plan,' long-duration storage and grid-forming storage will gradually move from pilot projects to industry standards," he said.

Nie Shugang emphasized: "Digitalization is the foundational capability of the new-type power grid, energy storage is an important regulatory resource, and computing-power integration is a rapidly growing new scenario." From a national strategy perspective, the new-type power grid is a key component of the "six networks" modern infrastructure system. These networks do not operate in isolation; future development will place greater emphasis on data connectivity, resource coordination, and security assurance among infrastructure systems.

How to Improve Product Competitiveness by Targeting Technology Directions?

On technology roadmaps, Zhang Jianhui stated that the deep integration of AI technology with energy storage applications is a highly certain direction and will deliver even greater value over the next five years. Haibo Sichuang has already applied AI in electronics.

Hu Shunquan believes: "The most certain technology is grid-forming technology, which is likely to become a standard feature of new-type power grids in the next three to five years." Grid-forming converters and grid-forming storage can actively provide inertia and voltage support to the grid. Additionally, solid-state transformers (SST) are next-generation core equipment; although still in the early commercialization stage, their feasibility and certainty are steadily increasing.

Nie Shugang argued that the future new-type power grid will not be defined by any single technology but will be shaped by three main lines: "power electronics, operational digitalization, and intelligent decision-making."

What Are China's Comparative Advantages Globally?

Global competition in the new-type power grid sector has fully upgraded from simple product price competition to a comprehensive contest centered on infrastructure investment rules, technical standards systems, and core equipment innovation roadmaps.

Zhang Jianhui stated: "China's comparative advantage does not come from a single dimension of cost or scale advantage, but from a comprehensive advantage formed by the叠加 of large-scale manufacturing capabilities, a complete industrial chain system, rich application scenarios, and极致 engineering practice capabilities."

Hu Shunquan noted: "China's new-type power grid development is actually far ahead of the world." The core advantage, he said, is "technology accumulation forced by scenarios." The energy consumption and supply revolution has spawned a vast number of complex application scenarios; the energy technology revolution has forced equipment technology iteration and breakthroughs; the energy system revolution has laid a solid industrial foundation; and international cooperation enables the export of advantages. "The most complex scenarios produce the most competitive technologies, and the most complete industrial chain supports cost, scale, and efficiency."

Nie Shugang believes that China's core advantage is the systematic engineering capability formed by long-term stable national strategy, sustained engineering investment, ultra-large-scale application scenarios, and a complete industrial chain. "Zhiyang Innovation's multi-source perception and AI operation and maintenance capabilities accumulated in complex power scenarios are also a corporate practice of China's 'scenario-driven technology iteration,'" he said.

Regarding international expansion, Zhang Jianhui believes that Chinese new-energy companies are moving from product export to a new stage of providing comprehensive solutions encompassing technology, products, service capabilities, and business models. The comprehensive capabilities formed by Chinese companies in product R&D, system integration, large-scale manufacturing, project delivery, and service capabilities are gaining increasing recognition in overseas markets.

(Source: China Business Journal)