China’s AI and EV boom drives record power demand, widening energy gap with US

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 2 min read 100% complete by Vincent ChowJanuary 17, 2026 at 12:00 PM

AI Summary

short article 2 min

In 2025, China's electricity consumption reached a record 10.4 trillion kWh, more than double that of the US, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA). This 5% increase from the previous year is the highest in the world, exceeding the combined total of the EU, Russia, India, and Japan. The growth was primarily driven by the tertiary sector, with an 8.2% increase fueled by electric vehicle charging (up 48.8%) and IT services related to data centers and AI (up 17%). Residential consumption also contributed significantly, rising 6.3% due to heatwaves. Primary and secondary industries saw increases of 9.9% and 3.7% respectively.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Hubei 30% Shaanxi 30% Henan 30% CCTV 40% India 50% Russia 50% Japan 50% European Union 60% United States 70% National Energy Administration (NEA) ×380% China ×390%

Keywords

electricity consumption 100% china 90% electric vehicles 80% artificial intelligence 80% power demand 70% data centers 60% energy gap 50% tertiary sector 50% residential consumption 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.20

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

China

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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electricity consumption china electric vehicles artificial intelligence power demand data centers energy gap tertiary sector residential consumption

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