Gobi X: Creating more energy for AI, not taking it from society
PARTNER CONTENT: How Envision is reversing the datacenter playbook by making computing chase abundant desert power, not the other way around
By The Register
Envision Technology Group, led by chairman Zhang Lei, has launched the Gobi X initiative to build green AI computing power in desert regions rather than drawing energy from existing society grids. The company announced the Mission Gobi plan on 12 July 2026, aiming to construct 5GW of green AI data centres across global戈壁 (desert) areas by 2030 .
Zhang Lei stated the strategy reverses the traditional datacentre model by making computing chase abundant desert power instead of forcing power to chase computing . The initiative targets China’s Gobi desert regions as a primary location for breaking through grid constraints that are currently limiting AI development in the US .
This approach addresses growing concerns about data centres competing with society for electricity, a tension already visible in UK planning disputes such as those near Norwich . The project represents a shift toward locating massive AI infrastructure where renewable energy is naturally abundant rather than where grid capacity is already strained .