North China’s Tianjin Municipality, set to host the 2025 Summer Davos, is emerging as a key national hub for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and applications. At the heart of this transformation is the Tianjin Artificial Intelligence Computing Center, dubbed the city’s “smart brain.”
With a total investment of approximately 1.27 billion yuan (about $177 million), the center began its journey in April 2022. By March 2023, its first 100-petaflop computing power cluster was operational, and in September, it launched the second 100-petaflop cluster. By March 2024, the center expanded its computing capacity to a staggering 300 petaflops.
“Looking ahead, we plan to expand to a computing scale of 1,000 petaflops,” said Duan Zhongyu, an engineer at the center. He explained that with 300 petaflops, the center can support most AI application scenarios from the Hebei District to Tianjin. “When we reach 1,000 petaflops, the center will be able to support smart city development, as well as the AI-driven transformation of Tianjin’s traditional industries,” he added.
In February, the center connected to the DeepSeek large model, among the first in Tianjin. Duan noted that they have provided model services to universities like Tianjin Normal University and multiple enterprises. “Based on Huawei’s 300-petaflop computing cluster, we have gradually replaced 14 foreign-based models with domestic versions,” he said.
In May, Tianjin unveiled an action plan to boost AI development, aiming to achieve breakthroughs in 100 core technologies and take the national lead in areas such as GPUs and embodied intelligence by 2027. As a major hub for computing power in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the center provides strong support for smart city development, industrial upgrading, and technological innovation, echoing the city’s AI action plan.
“Going forward, we will deepen the localization of vertical base models and continue to expand AI application scenarios in government services, urban governance, smart transportation, and other areas,” Duan said.
