Wuhan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computing Center. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

In the new era, computing power has emerged as the driving force behind economic growth. Experts estimate that for every yuan ($0.14) invested in building computing power, a remarkable 3 to 4 yuan of GDP can be generated. This highlights the significant impact of technological advancements and the potential for exponential economic benefits through strategic investments in computing infrastructure.

This is why Wuhan city in Central China's Hubei province has established the Wuhan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computing Center – a public AI computing power service provider. The center is in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC).

Wuhan Handleray Technology Co, a small enterprise in the valley, has been purchasing the computing power service from the center since last year for the company's product R&D and upgrading. "With the center, we have invested less in the computing power, and the model training speed has improved a lot, which has shortened our product delivery period," said a company manager.

"Over 100 years ago, electricity began to be the main driving force for development, but the power supplied by a generator was limited, so power plants needed to be built." Chen Bin, the operation manager of the center, drew an imaginative analogy, "In the era of artificial intelligence, computational power gradually became the new 'electricity', and computing centers are like the new 'power plants' of cities."

"If the center is compared to a restaurant, data is equivalent to ingredients, computing power is equivalent to kitchen utensils, and algorithms are equivalent to cooking methods. Only with the collaboration of these three elements can delicious dishes be created," Chen added. Wuhan AI Computing Center, combined with Huawei's technology and ecosystem, has collaborated with enterprises in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, smart transportation, smart cities, and smart agriculture, forming 184 AI innovation solutions.

Last November, the Wuhan Supercomputing Center was established, close to Wuhan AI Computing Center. It is China's first multiple cloud service and computing power hub.

According to data from the Department of Economy and Information Technology of Hubei Province, as of the end of last year, the province had a total of 144 operational data centers and 19 edge data centers actively in use. Additionally, there were 23 more data centers under construction, indicating the continued growth and expansion of data infrastructure in the region.

It is estimated that Hubei's big data industrial scale has reached 86.2 billion yuan, up 24 percent, with more than 480 related businesses. It has also collected a number of high-quality enterprises collecting, transmitting, processing and applying data.