With the growing prevalence of AI applications, the volume of token consumption—the most fundamental unit of measurement in AI operations—has seen explosive growth. In response to continuously rising market demand, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom have recently launched token-based data plans for both individual and enterprise users. These plans transform intangible AI computing power into a basic service that, much like mobile data, can be clearly priced and purchased on demand. How has consumer feedback been since the plans were launched? Wang Hongwei, Vice Dean of the School of Economics and Management and Professor of the Department of Management Science, was interviewed by CCTV-2. He interpreted the strategic significance of the token package and the development prospects of the “token factory”.

On a weekday afternoon, reporters observed at a service center that several consumers were inquiring about or subscribing to these token plans.During interviews, reporters found that many consumers’ demand for AI tools has gone far beyond simple Q&A chat. From assisting with programming to providing home entertainment, AI tools are becoming deeply integrated into people’s daily lives.

Currently, the token plans offered by telecom operators range from a few yuan to several tens of yuan, corresponding to usage volumes from millions to tens of millions of tokens. Given that one token roughly equates to 1–2 Chinese characters, and a single interaction with a large model consumes about 2,000 tokens, a 6-million-token plan can handle approximately 3,000 Q&A sessions. Multiple operators have reported that since the launch of these plans, the number of individual users has been growing rapidly.

Industry insiders point out that by introducing token plans, operators are essentially bundling the capabilities of various large models into a unified offering, billing uniformly by “token,” and securely delivering these services through a single platform. Previously, users who wanted to use different AI services had to approach multiple vendors separately—either purchasing API access rights or subscribing to individual memberships. Now, users can directly purchase and use token-based services for various large models through the operators’ service platforms.

Lu Haijun, Deputy General Manager of the Product Content Operations Center at China Mobile Shanghai, explained that they have made the process more convenient and lowered the barrier to entry through one-click deployment. Since everything runs in the cloud, the associated security protection mechanisms can better safeguard consumer data compared to local use.

Cao Feng, Director of the Platform and Engineering Department at the Institute of Artificial Intelligence of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), noted that in the past, users might have installed five or six large-model apps on their phones, each requiring a separate monthly subscription. In the future, a single operator token plan could allow a user’s AI-powered calls, browser-based AI summaries, and smart TV interactions to share the same allowance.

Wang Hongwei, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University, commented that the launch of token plans by the three major operators marks a symbolic move by the telecom industry as it transitions from the traditional data traffic economy to an intelligence-driven economy. He added that the adoption rate of token plans is expected to reach a very high peak within a short period.

The token plans offered by operators are end-user-oriented AI computing consumption products. But where exactly do these tokens come from?

Inside server racks are hundreds of graphics cards used for large-model computations. Previously, enterprises using AI had to rent graphics cards by the hour. Today, a “token factory” functions like an efficient processing workshop, converting invisible computing power and electricity into standardized, priced commodities in real time.

A company executive, Liu Hua, stated that the “token factory” represents a new production unit in the AI era. It takes electricity, GPU computing power, networks, and large models as inputs, continuously produces tokens through inference services, and then transforms those tokens into measurable, deliverable AI capabilities.

The executive added that they have recently launched a cloud service platform that integrates multiple mainstream large models. The backend calculates and deducts consumed tokens in real time based on usage. During a live demonstration, the executive gave two commands to an AI agent, and within about a minute, the backend clearly displayed how many tokens were consumed by the operation.

Data shows that in the first quarter of 2026, China’s average daily token invocation volume surpassed 140 trillion, representing a more than 1,000-fold increase over two years. This explosive demand has made “token factories” a hot topic among capital and industry players, with many enterprises accelerating their plans and rolling out new token factories.

As the foundation of token factories, China’s intelligent computing power accounts for 14.5% of the global total, ranking second worldwide. According to incomplete statistics, several provinces—including Jiangsu, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia—have already established token factories, while others are actively positioning themselves in the token economy through measures such as issuing token vouchers and enhancing the coordination between computing power and electricity. The participants in this ecosystem are also diversifying: the three major telecom operators have fully launched token-based business models, while computing-power companies and cloud service providers such as Hongxin Electronics, UCloud, and Runjian Co., Ltd. are also intensifying their efforts to build large-model computing clusters based on domestically produced chips.

Wang Hongwei remarked that the “token factory” will be the core component of the “token economy,” fully revitalizing existing computing resources through unified scheduling and on-demand production. He predicted that the next three to five years will witness explosive growth in the token market, with annual growth rates exceeding 100%.

(Source: CCTV-2, May 30, 2026)