China launches 'Computing Supermarket' and 'Computing Bank' to help small businesses

China's Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) and a group of computing industry partners have launched a new plan to help small businesses access computing power more easily. They call it the 'Computing Supermarket and Computing Bank' project.

The 'Computing Supermarket' will let companies buy computing resources like they shop online, with flexible payment methods based on usage time or tokens. The 'Computing Bank' will allow businesses to deposit unused computing power and earn credits, which can be used to get services first and pay later.

China Telecom's vice president Luan Xiaowei said AI is spreading fast in industries like manufacturing and finance. He added that China Telecom is shifting from traditional data traffic business to token-based services to keep up with the changes.