Latest news with #ErnieBot
International Business Times
3 days ago
- Business
- International Business Times
Nvidia CEO Dubs Chinese AI Models as "World-Class" as H20 Chip Sales Resume
Chinese artificial intelligence models being nurtured through the backing of Chinese companies are "world class," according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. His praise comes just a day after Nvidia announced it will be restarting suspended H20 AI chip sales in China, as US export controls were disposed of. Huang addressed the pattern of openness in the models during the opening ceremony for the conference: "Models like DeepSeek, Alibaba, Tencent, MiniMax, and Baidu's Ernie Bot are all world-class, open-source, developed here, and shared." They've been key in driving AI innovation worldwide." Huang's remarks are particularly sensitive, as Nvidia treads through complex U.S.-China tech relations while also actively growing its business in China. Open-source AI from China also got a mention. Huang said the country's strategy is opening AI tools to more industries and nations. "China's open-source AI is a steppingstone for the rest of the world," he said, comparing the openness with more closed systems employed by some Western companies. A critical AI hardware supplier worldwide, Nvidia regards China as a vital hub. More than 1.5 million Chinese developers currently use Nvidia platforms, Huang added. The company's chips also work on popular Chinese apps such as WeChat, Taobao, Douyin, and Meituan. Huang also said that H20 chip sales to China will be restarted soon. "I have been promised that the licenses are going to come very fast. There are quite a number of order books already in," he said on the sidelines of the event. The suspension of chip sales, which began in April, followed the recent tightening of U.S. export controls designed to manage the transfer of advanced technology. But trade talks have been prompted to make some of the restrictions a little more lax. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the resumed flow of chips is part of broader conversations, which are also taking place on rare earth materials. It will be Huang's third trip to China in 2025, highlighting the significance of the country for Nvidia, despite geopolitical headwinds.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Baidu (BIDU) Appoints Haijian He as CFO to Steer Financial Growth
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is one of the 13 best blue-chip stocks to buy, according to analysts. On July 1, Baidu, Inc. announced Haijian He as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. He joins from Kingsoft Cloud, where he held CFO and executive director roles and brings prior experience from Goldman Sachs, BofA Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. Baidu continues to show strong financial health with a current ratio of 2.29 and more cash than debt, according to InvestingPro. Gil C / The leadership shuffle also includes Junjie He transitioning from interim CFO to Senior Vice President of HR and administration and Shanshan Cui stepping in as Secretary General of the Organizational Culture Committee. CEO Robin Li welcomed the moves, citing them as crucial to Baidu's next phase of growth. Haijian He holds degrees in electronic engineering, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a Harvard AMP credential. As a CFA charterholder, his appointment aligns with Baidu's ambition to reinforce its AI-driven strategy and operational agility in the global tech market. Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is a leading Chinese technology company and a global pioneer in artificial intelligence. Often referred to as 'China's Google,' Baidu is the country's dominant search engine, commanding a significant share of the internet search market. Beyond search, Baidu has aggressively expanded into next-generation technologies. The company is at the forefront of autonomous driving, natural language processing, and generative AI development. Its AI platform, Baidu Brain, powers everything from smart assistants to self-driving vehicles, and its large language model Ernie Bot is one of China's most advanced generative AI offerings. While we acknowledge the potential of BIDU as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio
CNBC
03-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Like Google, China's biggest search player Baidu is beefing up its product with AI to fight rivals
Chinese tech giant Baidu has bolstered its core search platform with artificial intelligence in the biggest overhaul of the product in 10 years. Analysts told CNBC the move was a bid to keep ahead of fast-moving rivals like DeepSeek, rather than traditional search players. "There has been some small pressure on the search business but the focus on AI and Ernie Bot is a key move ahead," Dan Ives, global head of tech research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC by email. Ernie Bot is Baidu's AI chatbot. "Baidu is not waiting around to watch the paint dry, full steam ahead on AI," he added. Baidu is China's biggest search engine, but — as is also being seen by Google — the search market is being disrupted. Users are flocking instead to AI services such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek, which shocked the world this year with its advanced model it claimed was created at a fraction of the cost of rivals. But Kai Wang, Asia equity market strategist at Morningstar, also noted that short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also getting into AI search and piling pressure on Baidu. To counter this, Baidu made some major changes to its core search product: "This is more aligned with how people use ChatGPT and DeepSeek in terms of how they look for answers," Wang said. Outside of China, Google has also been looking to enhance its core search product with AI, highlighting how search has been under pressure from the burgeoning technology. Baidu was one of China's first movers when it came to AI, releasing its first models and ChatGPT-style product Ernie Bot to the public in 2023. Since then, it has aggressively launched updated AI models. However, the Beijing-headquartered company has also faced intense competition from fellow tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent, as well as upstarts such as DeepSeek. These companies have also been launching new models and infusing AI into their products and Baidu's stock has fallen behind as a result. Baidu shares have risen around 2.5% this year, versus a 30.5% surge for Alibaba and a 20% rise for Tencent. "This is a defensive and offensive move ... Baidu needs to be aggressive and perception-wise show they are not the little brother to Tencent on the AI front," Wedbush Securities' Ives added.
Globe and Mail
26-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Looking for Exposure to Baidu Stock (BIDU) Post Q1 Earnings? Try These Two ETFs
Baidu's (BIDU) growth prospects are driven by AI expansion, cloud computing, and autonomous driving. The company is investing in Ernie Bot AI and cloud services to strengthen its position in China's AI sector. Also, it is expanding its Apollo Go robotaxi operations globally. Thus, investors looking for exposure to BIDU stock may consider investing in these two ETFs: Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF (PGJ) and Global X Social Media ETF (SOCL). Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter It is worth mentioning that Baidu recently beat expectations in Q1, driven by strong growth in AI Cloud and robotaxi expansion. Particularly, AI Cloud revenue surged 42% year-over-year, reflecting rising adoption of Baidu's full-stack AI solutions. Let's take a deeper look at these two ETFs. Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF The PGJ ETF focuses on U.S.-listed Chinese companies, offering exposure to China's technology, consumer, and communication sectors. It tracks the NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index. Importantly, BIDU accounts for 6.82% of PGJ's total holdings. Some of the top holdings in PGJ ETF include Alibaba (BABA), Yum China (YUMC), and (JD). Overall, the ETF has $148.29 million in assets under management (AUM) and an expense ratio of 0.67%. Over the past year, the PGJ ETF has generated a return of 5.63%. On TipRanks, PGJ has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 41 Buys, 28 Holds, and one Sell assigned in the last three months. At $36.52, the average PGJ ETF price target implies 28.05% upside potential. Global X Social Media ETF The SOCL ETF provides exposure to social media companies, tracking the Solactive Social Media Total Return Index. It focuses on high-growth social media companies, including established giants and emerging players. BIDU stock constitutes 4.38% of the ETF's holdings. Apart from BIDU, some of the top stocks in the SOCL ETF are Meta Platforms (META), Pinterest (PINS), and NetEase (NTES). Overall, the ETF has $121.46 million in AUM. Also, it has an expense ratio of 0.65%. The SOCL ETF has returned 6.83% in the past year. Turning to Wall Street, the ETF has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Of the 51 stocks held, 29 have Buys and 22 have a Hold rating. At $54.46, the average SOCL ETF price target implies a 16.9% upside potential. Concluding Thoughts ETFs provide indirect exposure to BIDU, reducing risk compared to investing directly in the stock. Furthermore, ETFs are a liquid and transparent way to participate in the market. Investors seeking ETF recommendations might consider PGJ and SOCL, as these ETFs offer exposure to Baidu stock.
France 24
21-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
China's Baidu posts rise in Q1 revenue as seeks to grow AI presence
The Beijing-based firm operates China's main search engine and has long been a key player in the domestic tech industry -- but faces stiff competition both from traditional rivals like Tencent and Alibaba and a host of newer upstarts. Baidu derives a large part of its revenue from advertising, a sector vulnerable to fluctuations in consumer sentiment, and has sought to diversify with cloud computing, self-driving cars and AI. The firm achieved revenue of 32.45 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) in the first quarter of 2025, up 3 percent year-on-year, according to an earnings report released Wednesday on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website. Net income during the first quarter reached 7.72 billion yuan, up 42 percent year-on-year. China's consumer-facing AI sector attracted global attention after startup DeepSeek released a model that performed comparably to competitors such as US-made ChatGPT, apparently at a much lower developing cost. In March, Baidu announced the launch of its latest X1 reasoning model -- which the company claims performs similarly to DeepSeek's but for a lower cost -- and a new foundation model, Ernie 4.5. Baidu has also axed subscriptions for its AI chatbot Ernie Bot, making it free for individual users. "We are confident that our AI-first strategy positions us to remain at the forefront and to capture long-term growth opportunities in the AI era," said Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu, in the filing. "We also achieved a pivotal milestone in our robotaxi business, as Apollo Go expanded internationally," Li added. In March Baidu announced it had signed an agreement to launch autonomous driving tests and services in Dubai, Apollo Go's first international fleet deployment. The company also plans to start testing self-driving taxis in Europe by the end of this year, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to AFP earlier this month. The company will also start testing in Turkey, they said.
