<p>Emerging market countries such as China need a high-quality transition of their energy systems, as rapid economic development has led to a surge in energy demand, and the use of traditional energy sources has resulted in serious environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, affecting sustained economic growth and ecological security. Discussing how to realize a high-quality transition of China’s energy system will not only provide a reference for decision-making to reduce pollution and combat climate change, but also help to enhance energy independence and reduce the risk of external dependence. Therefore, this paper conducts an empirical study under the framework of “Digital Intelligence - Green Development - High Quality Energy System”, based on the panel data of 30 provinces in mainland China from 2010 to 2022, and finds that: (1) Both green development and digital intelligence drive can significantly contribute to the level of high-quality energy transition, and the interaction of green development and digital intelligence drive significantly contributes to energy high-quality transition; (2) Green development and digital intelligence drive have different degrees of positive spatial spillover effects on the level of high-quality energy transition in neighboring regions; (3) In terms of mechanism effects, green development can improve the level of high-quality energy transition by improving digital infrastructure, upgrading green innovation capacity, and promoting the industrial structure advanced and rationalization; (4) The digital intelligence drive is able to enhance the level of high-quality energy transition through five paths, that is, improving transportation and digital infrastructure, enhancing green innovation capability, and promoting the industrial structure advanced and rationalization. In general, the mechanism of enhancing the level of high-quality energy development through the promotion of industrial structure advanced is the most effective, and that of improving the infrastructure construction and enhancing the green innovation capability is the second most effective, but the role of promoting the rationalization of the industrial structure should not be neglected as well. (5) Furthermore, the promotion effect of green development and digital intelligence drive on the level of high-quality energy transition is regionally heterogeneous, and is stronger in the eastern region which has a higher economic level but is not resource-based, and in the region which has already launched the pilot carbon emissions trading.</p>