🇨🇳中国·AI 新闻·2026年8月21日·来源： SCMP

China’s telecoms giants bet on ‘token factories’ as AI drives revenue growth

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China’s three state-owned telecommunications giants are making artificial intelligence tokens a central part of their growth strategies. These billable tokens are becoming a key focus as AI adoption accelerates across the country. The move comes as demand for computing power continues to soar, driven by the widespread integration of AI technologies. This strategic shift highlights the increasing importance of AI in driving revenue growth for major infrastructure providers. The telecoms companies are positioning themselves to capitalize on the expanding AI market by providing essential computational resources.

This development signals a significant shift in the business models of China’s major state-owned telecoms. By focusing on "token factories," they are effectively productizing AI compute, turning raw processing power into a measurable and billable service. This strategy is crucial for several reasons: it directly addresses the escalating demand for AI infrastructure, positions these giants as foundational enablers of China's AI ecosystem, and diversifies their revenue streams beyond traditional connectivity services.

For Asia's tech ecosystem, this move by Chinese telecoms could set a precedent. It underscores the growing trend of infrastructure providers moving up the value chain in the AI era. This focus on AI tokens will likely drive further investment in data centers and high-performance computing within China, potentially accelerating the development and deployment of AI applications across various industries. It also highlights the strategic importance of state-backed entities in shaping the technological landscape and national AI capabilities.