China measured the potential of its AI infrastructure, while American figures turned out to be an order of magnitude lower than expected.

China and Its Computing Power Data: What Lies Behind the Numbers?

1. Why Chinese Statistics Raise Suspicion
China traditionally does not publish precise data on economic development, and when it does, the information is perceived as “completely reliable.” This is especially relevant in the supercomputer arena, where the country competes with the United States.

Since 2023, China has stopped adding new supercomputers to the Top‑500 list, leading to a significant underestimation of the country’s AI potential.

2. Official Figures and Their Context
Chinese sources, citing the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), stated that the total infrastructure capacity for artificial intelligence is about 1,882 exaflops (10¹⁸ operations per second).

This figure far exceeds international supercomputer rankings. The gap between expert estimates and reality can reach up to 6,000 times.

3. Why “Statistics” Are Not Always Credible
Different metrics: the Top‑500 evaluates computing platforms on criteria different from AI operations.

- Recalculating exaflops: 1,882 exaflops in an AI context translate to 120–230 exaflops when accounting for more complex operations that require higher precision.

Thus, even “approximate” numbers can differ greatly from actual capabilities.

4. What This Means for Global Competition
According to American experts, U.S. computing power should account for 75 % of the global total (or at least 50 %). If China truly has a “shadow” resource, its capabilities could be comparable to those of the United States, raising concerns.

5. How to Verify Claims
Verifying Ministry of Industry data is difficult: information is closed and not corroborated by independent sources. Nevertheless, China is already developing a national research megastructure for AI—a response to the U.S. initiative “Genesis.”

- Genesis remains in the approval stage in the United States.
- China is ready to offer its network to business and uses a distributed architecture that works optimally with renewable energy (reducing transmission losses).

6. Conclusion: Propaganda or Reality?
China actively promotes its AI achievements, but one should ask whether this is merely a marketing move or genuine technological breakthroughs.

In any case, figures and statements require critical analysis, especially when it comes to global competition in high technology.