The following policy describes China’s vision for the adoption of AI technology in its energy sector through 2030. A spinoff of the August 2025 “AI+” strategy, this plan identifies numerous ways that Chinese electric utilities and energy companies should use AI to improve their operations. These include areas such as predictive maintenance, coordinating supply and demand of renewable energy, and replacing dangerous or labor-intensive tasks in coal mining and offshore oil drilling. The plan covers applications of AI technology to support the energy sector, and does not address the flip side of the issue, namely how to supply enough electricity to meet the increasing energy needs of China’s AI industry.

An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at:    https://perma.cc/VH3D-4L2F

Implementation Opinions of the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration on Promoting the High-Quality Development of “Artificial Intelligence+” Energy

[2025] Document No. 73

To the development and reform commissions and energy administrations of all provinces, autonomous regions, province-level municipalities, cities with independent planning status under the national economic and social development plan, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and to relevant central enterprises, and relevant industry associations:

In order to thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the development of artificial intelligence (AI), carry out the relevant work requirements set forth in the Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Implementation of the “AI+” Initiative ([2025] Document No. 11),¹ seize the major strategic opportunities in the development of AI, make our orientation toward applications more prominent, accelerate the deep integration of AI with the energy industry, and support high-quality development and high-level security² in the energy sector, the following implementation opinions are hereby put forward.

I. Overall Requirements

Adhering to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, thoroughly implementing the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and the Second and Third Plenums of the 20th Central Committee, and fully implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on promoting the deep integration of AI with the real economy and cultivating and expanding the AI industry, this work will rely on the expansion of application scenarios for the deep integration of AI with the energy sector as an important support, take the enhancement of the technological level of innovative applications of AI in the energy sector as its main focus, take the advancement of coordinated development between intelligent computing power (compute)³ and electric power as a necessary support, and take the improvement of the innovation system for energy intelligentization (智能化) development as a key safeguard. We will strive to enhance the safe, reliable, flexible, and efficient operational capacity of the energy system, ensure the secure and stable supply of energy and its green and low-carbon transformation, accelerate the cultivation of new quality productive forces (新质生产力), and provide strong support for the construction of a new-type energy system.

By 2027, a preliminary innovation system for integration of energy and AI will have been established, the foundation for coordinated development of compute and electric power will be further consolidated, significant breakthroughs will have been achieved in AI-empowered core technologies for energy, and applications will be more extensive and in-depth. Five or more specialized large models will be promoted for deep application in industries such as power grids, power generation, coal, and oil and gas. Ten or more key demonstration projects that are replicable, easy to promote, and competitive will be identified. Pathways for empowering 100 typical application scenarios will be explored. A number of research and development (R&D) innovation platforms for AI technology applications in the energy industry will be fostered. One hundred technical standards will be formulated and improved. A number of hybrid talents (复合型人才) in energy and AI will be cultivated. Exploration will be carried out to establish a financial support system for research, development, and application of AI technology in the energy field. A development model for AI technology innovation in the energy sector that accords with China’s national conditions will be formed, and initial results in energy intelligentization will emerge.

By 2030, China’s dedicated AI technologies and applications in the energy sector will have generally reached a world-leading level. The mechanism for coordinated development of compute and electric power will be further improved, and an environmentally friendly, economical, safe, and efficient model of compute energy use will be established. Theoretical and technological innovation in the integration of energy and AI will have achieved notable results. AI technologies in the energy sector will empower cross-domain, cross-industry, and cross-business scenarios, achieving breakthroughs in areas such as intelligent power regulation, intelligent exploration of energy resources, and intelligent forecasting of new energy. Embodied AI and AI for science will achieve real-world applications in key scenarios. A number of globally leading “AI+” energy-related R&D innovation platforms and hybrid talent training bases will be established. A more complete policy system will be formed to continuously guide efficient, healthy, and orderly “AI+” energy innovation, laying a solid foundation for the high-quality development of energy.

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1. CSET’s English translation of the Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Implementation of the “Artificial Intelligence+” Initiative is available online at: https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china-ai-plus-opinions-2025/.
2. Translator’s note: The Chinese word 安全 encompasses the meanings of both “safety” (protection from accidental harm) and “security” (protection from deliberate harm). In this translation, it is variously translated as “safety,” “security,” or “safety and security” at the translator’s discretion.
3. Translator’s note: “Intelligent computing power” (“intelligent compute”; 智能算力; 智算) typically refers to computing power specifically designed and optimized for artificial intelligence (AI) model training, inference, or use.