RedNote, the Chinese lifestyle social media platform also known as Xiaohongshu domestically, is looking to build out a large data centre facility in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to a source, in a move that comes amid China’s massive artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure push. Shanghai-based RedNote is planning the 600-megawatt project, either in Ulanqab proper, which is known for its wind and renewable energy projects, or west of the city, with a budget of around 15 billion yuan (US$2.2 billion) excluding semiconductor costs, according to an individual who requested anonymity due to the private nature of the information. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, expects a total of 4 trillion yuan investment in national computing network buildout over the next five years during the 15th five-year plan, said Jiang Yi, a spokesperson for the NDRC, at a press briefing on Friday. With investment in computing infrastructure coming mostly from enterprises, the Chinese government sees major room for private investment in the sector, Jiang said during the briefing, adding that the agency would strengthen guidance and support to create a more favourable environment for private investors. RedNote’s had been in talks to VNET, one of China’s largest data centre operators, on the Ulanqab data centre buildout and was targeting delivery in the first quarter of 2027, the person said. RedNote and VNET did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. The plan also underscores how Chinese internet companies are racing to secure computing capacity as they invest in AI and embed the emerging technology into their products. RedNote, where users share notes and recommendations on products, travel, fashion and other interests, has also developed its own AI assistant, dubbed Diandian, that summarises content, makes recommendations and plans trips for its users. It joins a slew of Chinese technology firms, from food delivery giant Meituan to e-commerce platform Alibaba, the owner of the South China Morning Post, that leverage AI to enhance their products and improve the user experience. One of RedNote’s AI models achieved a perfect score at the International Mathematical Olympiad earlier this month – the first AI model to do so at the prestigious competition. More Chinese companies are looking to strengthen their AI infrastructure. Zhipu AI recently built a 1-gigawatt AI computing centre, powered entirely by Chinese chips, to train and deploy its GLM models, sources told the SCMP earlier this month. Chinese frontier AI lab DeepSeek said in April that it was recruiting for new roles, including server maintenance engineers and delivery managers, to oversee data centre launches in Inner Mongolia’s Ulanqab, according to job postings. Inner Mongolia, which has a large amount of renewable energy and relatively low electricity costs, has emerged as a key hub for large-scale data centres, particularly for AI workloads that require vast processing power.