In early 2026, artificial intelligence and cloud computing fueled the rapid expansion of global data centers. Facing this strategic opportunity, Shandong Heavy Industry Group established power energy as its seventh core business segment, committed to providing global customers with safe, reliable, efficient, low-carbon, intelligent, and flexible integrated power solutions.
Within Shandong Heavy Industry Group's industrial layout, this strategic business segment is primarily led by Weichai Group, which spearheads technology research and development, market expansion, and business implementation. Leveraging Weichai's deep expertise and leading advantages in power equipment and intelligent manufacturing, this segment will focus on data center generator sets and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) as its core businesses, extending to the entire chain including soundproof enclosures, distribution cabinets, and power station systems. It will deeply cover key scenarios such as data centers, oil fields and mines, and water and power grids, cultivating a new strategic growth engine.
A decade of dedicated development has honed its skills, precisely positioning itself for the future.
The explosive growth of global AI computing power is driving gigawatt-level growth in data center backup power demand. Taking core markets such as North America, China, and Southeast Asia as examples, the global data center power demand has a compound annual growth rate of 15%, indicating a promising industry outlook. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global data center electricity consumption will increase to approximately 945 TWh by 2030, more than doubling from 2024.
Weichai, with its forward-looking strategy, has seized the initiative and reaped the benefits of industry growth. It is understood that in 2025, sales of data center power generation equipment increased by 259% year-on-year, and its power energy business ranked among the top three in the global market.
The outstanding performance of the energy and power sector is a testament to a decade of dedicated effort. As early as around 2012, Weichai began developing advanced products around large-bore platforms such as the M33 and M55, precisely aligning with the explosive growth of the data center industry.
After more than a decade of dedicated development, Weichai has built the world's most comprehensive power spectrum in the field of high-speed, large-bore power generation. Addressing the core power needs of the data center industry, it has completed the product layout of generator sets from 1250kWe to 5000kWe, and the complete units have obtained numerous authoritative certifications. Among them, the 20M61 product,配套 (supporting) the 5000kWe unit, is currently the world's most powerful high-speed diesel engine, with its core indicators such as starting capability and load capacity reaching world-class levels.
Currently, Weichai has established various cooperation agreements with leading domestic and international internet customers, operators, and data center COLO providers, boasting a robust order backlog and strong growth potential.
Laying out the new SOFC track, igniting a new green engine
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), as a new power generation technology, have become a cutting-edge direction for data center energy supply due to their outstanding ultra-high energy efficiency.
While consolidating its traditional energy advantages, Weichai has made SOFC a key strategic direction. With its core advantages of high energy conversion efficiency, rapid deployment capabilities, and low-carbon environmental protection, Weichai's SOFC products have become an ideal choice for matching the power consumption characteristics of data centers.
As one of the earliest companies in China to deploy SOFC system integration, Weichai has proactively anchored itself in the SOFC product technology track, taking the lead in strategic deployment. In 2018, Weichai initiated its transformation into the new energy power track through strategic investment in Xilisi, building a diversified energy structure of "traditional power + clean power + new energy power". In 2023, Weichai launched the world's first commercially available high-power metal-supported SOFC product, achieving a key leap from technological research and development to market application. In November 2025, Weichai signed a manufacturing licensing agreement with Xilisi to establish a production line for batteries and stacks for the stationary power generation market. The products will provide power for AI data centers, commercial buildings, and industrial parks.
Currently, Weichai's new generation of SOFC products boasts a peak power generation efficiency exceeding 65%, with world-leading combined heat and power efficiency. Compared to traditional natural gas power generation, it can reduce carbon emissions by more than 30%, and its fuel flexibility allows it to adapt to low-carbon and zero-carbon solutions such as natural gas, hydrogen, and biofuels, fully aligning with the "dual-carbon" strategy and international carbon emission requirements. The product adopts a modular design, supporting rapid deployment and addressing the contradiction between the surge in AI computing power and the lag in grid construction. It serves as a primary continuous power source to replace mains power, ensuring uninterrupted operation of data centers.
It is understood that several demonstration projects using Weichai's SOFC products have been successfully implemented. Weichai's first 100kW SOFC power generation product has achieved a significant breakthrough in commercial application at Weifang Energy Group; the 100kW SOFC power generation product was also successfully delivered to State Power Investment Corporation, becoming the first SOFC distributed energy supply project in the national public health service scenario. To date, the demonstration project has accumulated nearly 70,000 hours of operation.
Strengthening Core Competencies Across the Entire Chain, Cultivating High-End Market Demand
In the surging global market, with leading companies vying for dominance, how has Weichai managed to stand out? The answer lies in its commitment to overcoming the long-standing barriers of the high-end market dominated by international giants. Weichai has dedicated itself to building a complete core capability chain, from R&D innovation and intelligent manufacturing to global services, precisely responding to high-end market demands with a systematic advantage.
On the R&D side, Weichai focuses on creating a product portfolio with differentiated technological competitiveness for specific scenarios. It has newly developed the M61 series products and deployed natural gas power generation products such as 20M55/20M61, completing the deployment of a new generation of high-power SOFC power generation products. With a start-up time of less than 6 hours, its overall technology is internationally leading, continuously enhancing its product competitiveness.
On the manufacturing side, Weichai has built a smart manufacturing base for 20,000 large-bore high-speed engines, fully utilizing high-precision automated equipment. From core component milling to precision assembly, the entire process is standardized, ensuring product precision and consistency. It supports flexible mixed-line production of multiple engine models and deeply integrates advanced technologies such as online real-time monitoring, AI visual recognition, and intelligent free positioning to build a full-process quality traceability system. This not only ensures product performance stability but also significantly improves order response capabilities. For SOFC (Solid State Fuel Cell) systems, Weichai has proactively planned for industrialization, intending to invest in battery and stack production lines for the stationary power generation market. From the initial product development stage, it has focused on marketization and industrialization goals, advancing technology research and development and supply chain layout with the end in mind. Leveraging Weichai Group's powerful global supply chain system and integrating upstream and downstream core resources, it has built a complete industrial ecosystem encompassing materials, components, stacks, and systems, laying a solid foundation for the rapid commercialization of SOFC products and seizing a leading position in the clean energy sector.
On the service side, Weichai has built a comprehensive global service network, achieving "full coverage domestically and extensive penetration overseas." Leveraging its network of over 8,000 service stations worldwide, Weichai has deepened its service capabilities for specialized scenarios such as data centers, optimizing and improving its service channels in China, Europe, America, and the Asia-Pacific region. It continuously enhances its independent service capabilities through direct service, proactive preventative inspections, and service authorization. Simultaneously, Weichai cultivates high-end craftsmen and multi-skilled service engineers, providing deep assurance for the stable operation of its products and offering professional support for data centers and other scenarios.
In an era where computing power defines the future, stable and reliable power has become the indispensable "digital lifeblood" of data centers. In the future, Weichai will use its seventh business segment-power energy-as a fulcrum to transform from a single equipment supplier into a comprehensive energy solutions provider covering the entire chain. This will not only open up new growth curves for enterprises but also dedicate itself to providing stable, efficient, and clean energy solutions for data centers worldwide.
