Jinko Power signed a framework agreement with Zhongwei to develop a 1 GW data center in Ningxia, marking its entry into green computing under China’s “Eastern Data, Western Computing” initiative. The project, however, remains subject to approvals and funding scrutiny.
Jinko Power announced on April 16 that it signed an investment agreement with the Zhongwei municipal government to develop a 1 GW data center project in Zhongwei, Ningxia province, marking the Shanghai-listed solar power plant operator’s entry into the green computing segment.
The company said it will use its experience in renewable power operations to extend into computing infrastructure.
The project is planned to be located in the Xuanhe section of the Zhongwei data center cluster, covering about 534,000 m2. It involves planned investment of around CNY 24.5 billion ($3.4 billion) and is designed for about 50,000 standard racks with total IT load of 1 GW, to be built in three phases: 400 MW in phase one, followed by 300 MW in each of phases two and three.
Jinko Power said it will be responsible for infrastructure construction and lifecycle operations, while revenue is expected to come mainly from rack leasing and related data hall services rather than server or chip supply.
The Zhongwei project is expected to form part of China’s broader push to meet rising demand for digital infrastructure under the national “Eastern Data, Western Computing” initiative. Launched in February 2022, the program is a large-scale effort to shift data generated in the resource-constrained eastern regions to energy-rich western regions for storage and processing.
Jinko Power framed the move as an extension of its renewable generation and energy services platform, while also acknowledging that the project remains preliminary and subject to multiple approvals. The company also warned that the agreement is only a framework arrangement. The final project size, investment plan, and implementation path may change materially, or the project could be terminated, depending on national approvals, land transfer, and the introduction of strategic partners.
Jinko Power added that the planned investment is significantly higher than its current cash position and said it intends to bridge the gap through direct and indirect financing, alongside outside investors.
The announcement drew immediate scrutiny from the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which issued a regulatory work letter the same evening covering the listed company, its directors, and senior executives. Public reports said the exchange’s concerns centered on funding feasibility, disclosure discipline, the commercial logic of a cross-sector expansion into computing infrastructure, and the company’s internal decision-making procedures.
As of April 20, no public written reply from the company had been disclosed, and the move had not escalated into a formal investigation or penalty. The announcement also prompted renewed confusion between Jinko Power and JinkoSolar. They are separately listed separately listed companies with different shareholder structures and governance.
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