Li believes that the company’s stockpiles of chips and alternative models will be enough to support a wide range of AI applications for users. While he did not disclose details about potential alternative sources of chips, Baidu’s CEO said they are not as advanced as those from the US. However, Baidu’s unique AI architecture and algorithmic strengths will help mitigate the challenges and improve efficiency.
Baidu CEO recently said that some companies in China have stockpiled semiconductors and built intelligent computing centers early to serve their plans to create their own AI platforms. In addition, Mr. Li said that US sanctions will definitely affect the pace of AI development and may lead to consolidation of Chinese AI companies.
Baidu has ordered AI chips made by Huawei as an alternative to Nvidia
Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Tencent are also concerned that their cloud computing businesses will be affected by the US restrictions. Alibaba has now put its plans to list Alibaba Cloud on hold due to uncertainty.
In March 2023, Baidu introduced Ernie, becoming the first major tech company in China to compete with ChatGPT. Three months after its launch, Ernie Bot successfully attracted 70 million users, Li said, the company is handling tens of millions of queries daily, and thousands of businesses have adopted Baidu's AI service.
Baidu’s revenue from generative AI is still insignificant. However, Li predicts that Ernie will add hundreds of millions of yuan to advertising revenue by the fourth quarter of 2023. Baidu’s AI-focused business and product strategy will pave the way for sustained revenue and profit expansion over many years with the Ernie and Ernie Bot ecosystems. Increased revenue from AI products could help Baidu grow rapidly despite China’s economic struggles. The company reported third-quarter revenue of $4.7 billion, up 6% year-over-year, slightly above analysts’ estimates.
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