Baidu’s shares surged 10.7% in Asian trading on Tuesday following the release of two new artificial intelligence models over the weekend.
The Chinese tech giant introduced the latest version of its foundational “Ernie” model alongside a new reasoning model designed to rival DeepSeek’s R1.
The market response indicates growing confidence in Baidu’s AI capabilities as it seeks to re-establish itself as a dominant player in China’s fast-evolving AI sector.
The company has been facing stiff competition from rivals like Alibaba and Bytedance, as well as the unexpected rise of DeepSeek, which disrupted the AI landscape with its cost-efficient R1 model in January.
Baidu’s decision to open-source its latest models signals a strategic shift aimed at regaining market leadership, but whether it can match DeepSeek’s momentum remains to be seen.
Baidu takes on DeepSeek
Baidu claims its ERNIE X1 reasoning model delivers performance on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price.
This positioning directly challenges DeepSeek, whose R1 model has drawn praise for achieving competitive results at a fraction of the cost and with less advanced hardware.
While the cost-effectiveness of AI models is a critical factor in adoption, pricing in China’s AI market remains fluid, making it difficult to determine whether Baidu’s approach will gain traction.
DeepSeek’s rapid rise earlier this year reshaped the AI competitive landscape in China, overshadowing Baidu’s previous AI advancements.
Despite being among the first to launch a ChatGPT-like chatbot with its Ernie Bot, Baidu found itself trailing behind newer players with more aggressive market strategies.
The release of these new models is seen as an effort to reclaim lost ground and position itself as a leading AI provider for enterprises needing advanced computing solutions.
Open-source strategy shift
Baidu’s decision to open-source its latest models marks a departure from its previous proprietary-focused AI strategy.
By making its models freely available, the company aims to establish its technology as an industry standard while strengthening its influence in the AI developer community.
This approach mirrors DeepSeek’s strategy and could help Baidu expand its market share by encouraging broader adoption of its AI technology.
The move also reflects a broader trend in AI, where open-source models are increasingly seen as a way to accelerate innovation and gain competitive advantages.
Companies leveraging open-source strategies can build ecosystems around their technologies, attracting developers and businesses that can customise and implement AI solutions tailored to their needs.
However, the success of this strategy depends on whether Baidu’s models can consistently deliver the promised performance and cost benefits.
Analysts assess Baidu’s AI prospects
According to Morningstar senior equity analyst Kai Wang, Baidu’s stock jump is likely a “delayed reaction” to the AI model releases, as investors reassess its potential in China’s competitive AI space.
He noted that while Baidu has not received the same level of attention as other major cloud computing firms, its AI advancements could drive increased enterprise demand for hosting, scaling, and computing power.
Counterpoint Research principal analyst Wei Sun highlighted that Baidu’s competitiveness now hinges on whether its new models truly deliver on their performance and pricing promises.
While the company’s open-source move is a strategic attempt to establish an AI industry standard, the market remains highly dynamic, with pricing and technological advancements shifting rapidly.
Baidu’s ability to differentiate itself from competitors like DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Bytedance will be crucial in determining its future AI market position.
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