China's Daily Token Usage Surpasses 140 Trillion in March 2026, Up Over 1,000-Fold in Two Years
In March 2026, China's average daily token usage exceeded 140 trillion, marking a more than a thousandfold increase over two years. A one-minute video requires over 1 million tokens. Weekly token usage ranked first globally for three consecutive weeks. New applications such as AI agents are driving consumption growth. Since late January 2026, some model companies have achieved in 20 days revenue exceeding their full-year 2025 total. Tokens, as measurable units linked to computing costs and applicable across modalities, serve as an effective intermediary between technology supply and commercial demand.
Large language models are complex mathematical systems that cannot directly understand text, sound, or images. They must convert raw data into a processable form, and the token is the basic unit of this AI language.
In March 2026, the average daily token usage in mainland China surpassed 140 trillion, achieving a more than thousandfold increase in two years. Generating a one-minute video consumes over 1 million tokens. During March 2026, China's weekly token usage for large models ranked first globally for three consecutive weeks.
The emergence of new application forms is also driving token consumption growth. With the proliferation of new applications such as AI agents, token consumption has entered a period of rapid growth.
Since late January 2026, some model companies have achieved in just 20 days revenue exceeding their full-year 2025 total. Tokens, with characteristics such as measurability, linkage to computing costs, and cross-modal applicability, have become an effective intermediary connecting technology supply and commercial demand.
Why this event matters
The event has a measured impact on 1 industry. The strongest current signal is positive for Artificial Intelligence, with intensity 92/100 and 85% confidence over a medium term horizon.
Impact figures are analytical estimates that combine direction, intensity, confidence and event importance. They are not investment advice.