China turns AI Tokens into a unit of global currency to challenge the US Dollar
If tokens become a recognised settlement unit, China could build an AI-era currency that erodes the US dollar.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2026) 'China turns AI Tokens into a unit of global currency to challenge the US Dollar', 311 Institute, 19 May. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/china-turns-ai-tokens-into-a-unit-of-global-currency-to-challenge-the-us-dollar/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Over the past few years we’ve seen a near exponential increase in the number of companies using AI Tokens and now it looks like China might be thinking two steps ahead to use them to cement the country’s global dominance, in the AI, digital and economic fields. This week China officially designated “ciyuan” as the translation for “token”, the computational units that power tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, in a move widely seen as devising a new form of global currency, perhaps to challenge the US Dollar, for the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In Chinese, ci translates to “word”, while yuan is commonly used as a synonym for “currency”. For instance, the basic unit of the Chinese renminbi is the yuan, and most foreign currencies are referred to as yuan in Chinese, prefixed by their respective country names.
While the US dollar has long been the bedrock of the global financial system, where the key metrics are output per watt and cost per million tokens.
One such advantage stems from electricity, the essential raw material required to produce tokens and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin which, as odd as it might sound, in the past Elon Musk has called an “Energy Currency.” China is the world’s largest electricity producer, and its power capacity has expanded at a rate that has repeatedly surpassed official targets.
On Monday, at the , Liu Liehong, administrator of the National Data Administration of China, used the term ciyuan as the official Chinese translation for “token” during a speech on AI development, effectively resolving a debate within China over how the term should be rendered.
In his address, Liu said the token, or ciyuan, was not only a value anchor for the intelligent era but also a “settlement unit” linking technological supply with commercial demand, thereby allowing business models to be quantified.
“A new value system is rapidly taking shape around the invocation, distribution and settlement of tokens, and this is becoming a major pathway for monetising the AI industry,” he said.
While “token” originally belonged to the technology lexicon, its new official name carries strong economic overtones, particularly at a time when Nvidia boss Jensen Huang is also seriously contemplating its potential use as a form of compensation.
What this means for your organisation
A token becomes a unit of account.
If tokens are accepted as a settlement unit, AI services could be priced and paid for in them. The official name carries economic overtones. Leadership teams should treat token costs as a financial exposure, not only a technology line.
Power sits behind the new value.
Electricity is the raw material for tokens, and China is the world's largest electricity producer. Our data shows AI is pushing data centre power demand up fast. Energy access may shape who sets the price of AI.
The dollar's role may slowly shift.
Central banks are already diversifying reserves away from the dollar, and a token-based unit could add to that pressure. The change will be slow and uncertain. Organisations with Chinese suppliers or customers should plan for pricing in more than one unit.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our contracts could end up priced in tokens rather than currency?
- How exposed are we to AI compute costs and the power behind them?
- Who in our firm owns the risk if settlement units change?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
How could AI tokens become a currency?
By treating compute tokens as a settlement unit priced in cost-per-token and output-per-watt, China could anchor economic value to AI capacity rather than to the dollar, leveraging its huge, cheap electricity supply.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 19 May 2026. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2026). China turns AI Tokens into a unit of global currency to challenge the US Dollar. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/china-turns-ai-tokens-into-a-unit-of-global-currency-to-challenge-the-us-dollar/
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