Demand drivers
China dual-carbon targets plus a national push for AI computing and grid-scale battery storage (BESS) are creating the fastest-growing demand for air-to-air heat-recovery cores. New data-center permits increasingly require energy-efficiency and heat-reuse provisions.
Product-mix shift
Buyers are requesting more high-efficiency counter-flow plates for AI data centers and corrosion-proof polymer (PP) cores for coastal and industrial BESS sites. As the 2026 export outlook noted, capacity can tighten during policy-driven surges.
What it means for buyers
Source earlier, lock production slots, and verify efficiency test data and certifications up front. Suppliers with in-house core production and engineering support will be the bottleneck, not raw capacity.