Gui'an cluster

China Telecom · Tencent · Apple iCloud (GCBD) · Gui'an New Area, Guizhou, China

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The resource footprint

Modelled average

In one day, this campus consumes about

9.3950-metre swimming pools

Filled with the volume of water consumed by the campus and its electricity supply.

The actual estimate6,203,081 US gallons consumed

50-metre pools · 2 metres deep

Each diagram = 1 pool. Partial shading shows the remainder.

At the campus1,349,078 galMaking its electricity4,854,003 gal

Power-plant water may come from a different watershed. This is a volume comparison, not a claim that households lose this water.

At current operating capacity · Annual model spread evenly over time, not a live meter. Site estimates may differ by roughly ±40%.

Comparison sizes & sources

One pool = 50 × 25 × 2 metres = 2.5 million litres (about 660,430 US gallons). Pool depths vary; this is a defined comparison size.

One home-year = 10,791 kWh, the EIA’s 2022 average US residential electricity purchases. This excludes electricity generated at home and is a fixed US benchmark for all sites.

One car-year = 4.6 tonnes CO₂, the EPA’s typical passenger vehicle tailpipe estimate. The campus model is in CO₂e; the comparison expresses approximate climate scale, not equal mixtures of pollutants.

Monthly values are annual totals ÷ 12; daily values are annual totals ÷ 365. Actual demand varies. Comparisons cover the whole campus, including non-AI uses.

Water: see the numbers and sources

This is water used up, mainly through evaporation. Power-generation water may be used in a different watershed.

Total water use2,264M gal/yr

Evaporated on site492M gal

Making the power1,772M gal

Household comparison28,302homes, at 80,000 gal/year

Pressure on local water: Low — a regional measure of demand compared with available water
Where the water comes from: Surface water — river, lake or canal
Cooling: Mountain-cave siting with natural cooling; evaporative supplement
Basis: Modelled from cooling design — WUE 0.81 L/kWh

Air: see the numbers and sources

The totals include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and fine particles. They cover both this site and the power plants supplying it.

Nitrogen oxides1,018t/yr

Sulphur dioxide925t/yr

Fine particulates153t PM2.5

Health (EPA)$127M/yr

Health range: $43.3–127 million a year. Lower bound is EASIUR national mid-range; upper is EPA benefit-per-ton at a ~$12M VSL.
Statistical deaths: 10.6 a year at that VSL — a national-average conversion from tons, not a local concentration study.
Equals: 1,271,952 cars of NOx
Where it burns: China — Guizhou
Generation mix: Coal 55 · Hydro 38
Diesel backup: Diesel backup is not yet counted for this campus, so on-site air figures are a floor.
CO₂e: 930 kt/yr — climate, not air quality

The project, approvals and community concerns

Who asked for it: Chinese state carriers and platforms; Apple is required by Chinese law to host mainland iCloud data domestically
Who approved it: National 'East Data, West Computing' hub designation; Guizhou provincial siting on hydro supply
What it serves: Chinese cloud regions; Apple's iCloud data for mainland users is operated here by GCBD
IT capacity: 400 MW current capacity / 900 MW full-build scenario

Guizhou's hydropower and karst caves made it China's first big data province. Included because it is the clearest example of data sovereignty law, rather than economics, deciding where compute physically sits.

data-residency driven

Keep this guide handy

26.4200°, 106.4500°

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Quote or share these estimates

Gigawatt Ledger (2026). Gui'an cluster: water and air. https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/site/guian/. Modelled from disclosed capacity; site-level error ±40%.

Include the estimate’s date, whether it describes current or proposed capacity, and its uncertainty. Get an embeddable card.

Gigawatt Ledger · September 2026. Water and air figures are estimated from public records and disclosed capacity. How we calculate them · Use this in your community.