SemiAnalysis mapped 1,000+ datacenter facilities across 60+ operators in China. China’s datacenter capacity exceeds 24GW, larger than EMEA or rest of Asia. BAT combined capex hit $20B in 2Q26, doubling YoY. ByteDance alone leases about one-fifth of national capacity. China delivers 100MW facilities in under 12 months. State carriers still own a third of national capacity. Legacy retail racks sit near 60% utilization. Wholesale AI demand fills new builds above 70%. The Eastern Data Western Compute policy shifts growth inland. Overseas leasing by Chinese hyperscalers may double by 2029.
What changed
China's datacenter market was historically telecom-dominated with low-density retail racks and high vacancy rates.
What it unlocks
Rapid deployment of AI-ready wholesale datacenter capacity at scale in China.
- 24GW current capacity in China
- $20B combined BAT capex in 2Q26
- 1/5 national capacity leased by largest hyperscaler
- 100MW datacenter delivery in under 12 months
Sources