Explosive Growth of China‑Wide AI‑Token Consumption

Headline: China’s Daily AI‑Token Calls Surpass 140 Trillion, Industry Shifts to “Token‑Production Factories”
Source: Global Times, July 27, 2026
National‑data‑bureau statistics show China’s daily token consumption rocketed: from 100 billion at early‑2024 to over 140 trillion by March‑2026, an over‑1000‑fold expansion within two years.
This surge is mainly driven by mass adoption of AI‑agent applications. Unlike simple question‑and‑answer chatbots, practical AI agents consume massive tokens to complete multi‑step workflows such as trip planning, document processing and automated development tasks. Academician Zheng Weimin commented that the AI industry is moving away from large‑model training toward high‑volume token‑supply capacity building.