China's AI inference data tops training data for the first time

A new report from the China Center for Information Industry Development shows that AI inference data in China has surpassed training data for the first time. This marks a shift from building AI models to using them at scale in real industries.

By June 2026, daily AI token usage had passed 175 trillion, over 1,000 times higher than in early 2024. Top AI models now update in days or weeks instead of months.

Under the "AI plus manufacturing" plan, China has built more than 500 smart factories across all 31 provinces. Homegrown AI chips and models now power over 1,000 use cases in 20 industries like steel and cars.

Another report shows that by mid-2026, generative AI users in China had topped 700 million, with usage passing 50% of the population.