China's AI token usage jumps over 1,000-fold in two years

(ECNS) - China's daily artificial intelligence (AI) token use has risen more than 1,000-fold over the past two years, a senior official said Monday, reflecting rapid growth in the country's AI sector.

Tokens refer to units of data processed by AI models, often used to measure usage and cost.

Daily token calls rose from 100 billion in early 2024 to exceed 140 trillion in March 2026, Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, told the China Development Forum in Beijing.

The figure had already reached 100 trillion by the end of 2025, Liu said.

The sharp increase reflects both technological advances and expanding commercial applications, he added, as China accelerates development of its AI industry.

Liu said China's AI-related industries are expected to top 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in size by the end of the 2026–2030 development period.

Tokens are becoming a "settlement unit" linking technology supply with commercial demand in the intelligent era, Liu said.

Some model developers had seen revenue over a 20-day period since late January surpass their total earnings for all of 2025, highlighting the rapid evolution of token-based business models.

The surge points to improvements in China's data supply system, which Liu said were driven by reforms to marketize data as a production factor.

An ecosystem linking data supply and value creation is beginning to take shape, Liu said.

No independent data was immediately available to verify the figures.

(By Zhang Jiahao)