China's Daily AI Token Calls Reach 140 Trillion

Daily AI token calls in China surged to 140 trillion by March 2026, representing a more than 1,000-fold increase from approximately 100 billion in early 2024. Wei Liang, deputy head of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), cited these figures in a CCTV Finance program preview published on July 18.

Tokens are units used to measure the volume of information processed by AI models and determine usage costs. The dramatic rise in token calls is linked to the increasing adoption of AI agents. These systems allow a single user instruction to trigger multiple calls to AI models, thereby creating significant demand for token pricing and scheduling systems.

AI agents are software programs designed to perform tasks autonomously by orchestrating interactions with AI models. Their deployment for complex operations, such as data analysis or task automation, necessitates a higher frequency of AI model interactions, directly translating to a substantial increase in token consumption.

This trend highlights the growing reliance on AI infrastructure and the evolving economics of AI services in China. The CAICT figures underscore the rapid expansion of AI adoption and the operational scale required to support it.