#Sustainability #USA #London #Envision #Lei Zhang

Lei Zhang Honored as a Sustainability Trailblazer

In a significant recognition of his contributions to sustainable development, Lei Zhang, the founder and CEO of Envision, has been named a Sustainability Trailblazer at the prestigious Reuters Global Sustainability Awards 2026. This annual awards ceremony, now in its 17th year, celebrates organizations and leaders who translate sustainability commitments into action, showcasing measurable success.

This year's awards saw over 700 submissions, evaluated by an independent jury of 25 experts. The Sustainability Trailblazer Award specifically honors business leaders who challenge the status quo through innovative ideas and actions, display inspiring leadership qualities, and are committed to long-term impacts. Lei Zhang has exemplified these qualities through his pioneering work in the energy sector, promoting innovations that connect renewable energy sources with intelligent industrial practices.

As the world increasingly relies on technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), Zhang emphasizes that energy will be a fundamental limiting factor for growth rather than just semiconductor chips. He advocates for an energy system of the future that is not only infinite and intelligent but also cost-effective. His vision is one where AI accelerates the growth of clean energy rather than competes with households, hospitals, and industries for electricity. For Zhang, sustainability transcends a mere obligation; it is a pathway to creating new prosperity.

In 2026, Zhang launched the Mission GOBI initiative, aiming to establish a renewable energy-powered AI infrastructure capable of generating 5 GW by 2030. A key milestone in this project was the opening of Envision's Galaxy Campus in Ulanqab, which serves as the flagship project of the initiative. This site features the world's largest single-building AI data center, powered directly by renewable energy. It operates under an advanced AI energy management system that integrates extensive computing capacity with renewable energy solutions.

The Galaxy Campus will, at full scale, support gigawatt-level AI computing, featuring a processing capacity of up to one million PFLOPS. The initiative aligns AI computing resources with regions rich in wind and solar energy, aiming to leverage the growing demand for computing power to drive investments in clean energy. Here, computing power is designed to follow the clean energy supply rather than dictate it.

These efforts encapsulate Envision's vision established in 2026 under the motto “To Create a New Prosperity for Civilization.” From renewable energy initiatives to the development of AI infrastructure, Zhang is dedicated to fostering long-term economic, industrial, and societal values through technological innovation.

Earlier this year, he became the first entrepreneur from the private sector to receive the Energy Institute President's Award, further recognizing his contributions to energy infrastructure development. With the Reuters award, Zhang's transformative role in evolving a new energy infrastructure model is acknowledged—one that extends beyond individual technological breakthroughs and delivers scalable solutions at the systems level, generating both ecological and economic benefits while making AI advancements accessible to a broader audience.