China is intensifying its efforts to establish a self-sufficient artificial intelligence ecosystem to counteract U.S. export controls and technological restrictions. Recent initiatives, showcased at a Shanghai AI conference, include increased investments in power generation and skills training to bolster its AI capabilities and reduce dependency on Western technologies.

China is constructing a $167 billion hydropower facility on the Tibetan plateau, aimed at increasing self-sufficiency in energy. The project involves extensive tunneling through mountainous terrain to harness the potential of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, located in one of the world's deepest canyons.