DeepSeek plans 1 GW AI data center in Inner Mongolia

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek is planning a massive, gigawatt-scale data center in Inner Mongolia, a major infrastructure push aimed at closing the computing gap with leading U.S. AI firms. The company is targeting the city of Ulanqab for the project, with plans to bring at least part of the capacity online by early 2028.

The planned facility, with a capacity of one gigawatt, represents a significant scaling of the company's computing infrastructure. For context, one gigawatt is roughly the output of a nuclear power plant. DeepSeek has begun hiring for roles such as server maintenance engineers and delivery managers in Ulanqab, indicating active preparation for physical deployment. The city's cold climate, with an average annual temperature around 4 degrees Celsius, offers natural cooling advantages for power-hungry AI servers.

This expansion follows DeepSeek's earlier deployments in the region, including work completed in Hohhot's New District in February 2025. The new Ulanqab data center is expected to provide the computational backbone for training and running the company's next-generation V4 AI model. The project is part of a broader trend, with more than...