Wuxi, Jiangsu: Computing Power Does Not Wait for Electricity as “Power Supply Prepared Ahead of Development” Delivers Results

Recently in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, a core computing power center for the Yangtze River Delta region—with a total investment exceeding 10.2 billion yuan and a planned capacity of 34,400 standard racks—was officially energized. Unlike conventional practices, State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company adopted a “power supply prepared ahead of development” model, offering a new approach to powering digital infrastructure.
The computing power center’s electricity demand grows gradually as servers are installed. Building a grid designed for full-load demand from the outset would leave substantial capacity idle in the early stages. Instead, the local utility implemented phased capacity expansion, boosting the grid’s average utilization rate from less than one-third to nearly 90 percent and effectively avoiding a waste of resources.
The key enabler is the forward-looking “power supply prepared ahead of development” strategy. In 2025, Wuxi brought the 220-kV Nianhua Substation into operation ahead of schedule, with a total capacity of 480 MVA and the potential to be expanded to 720 MVA in the long term. Currently, only about 20.8 percent of this capacity is in use, leaving ample capacity margin for future regional computing power expansion.
This computing power center can support the research and development needs of nearly 1,000 AI and smart manufacturing enterprises and is expected to drive more than 10 billion yuan in additional annual output value for related industries. Wuxi’s experience demonstrates that the core of coordination between computing power and electricity lies in synchronized planning, early construction, and proactive service. Only when power supply actively adapts to computing power, rather than passively waiting, can it provide sustained momentum for the digital economy.