: The development of national green data centers (NGDCs) stands as a core energy-saving strategy for digital infrastructure, while its systematic influence on regional innovation ecosystems remains underexplored. This study explores the effects of NGDC pilots on the effectiveness of digital regional innovation ecosystems (DRIEs). Based on panel data of 262 Chinese cities from 2012 to 2022, this research adopts a dual machine learning (DML) model under a quasi-natural experimental framework. Our findings show that NGDC construction significantly improves DRIE effectiveness, primarily through stimulating entrepreneurial dynamics, fostering future-oriented industries, and reducing carbon emission intensity. Heterogeneity results confirm more pronounced effects in major urban agglomerations, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Chengdu-Chongqing area, as well as in cities with sophisticated smart manufacturing and superior carbon reduction efficiency. In addition, NGDC pilots effectively mitigate inter-industry development disparities, particularly between the Internet and communication domains and others. This study extends the theoretical framework of DRIEs and provides practical policy insights for the green transformation of data centers and coordinated regional innovation development.
Shang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.