COMPANIES · FOUNDATION MODELS
Baidu
Baidu develops the Ernie family of AI models and its own Kunlun AI chips, alongside its core internet search business.
Baidu develops the Ernie family of AI models and its own Kunlun AI chips, alongside its core internet search business.
Baidu reported its Ernie Bot assistant reached 200 million monthly users, and its push into custom Kunlun silicon reflects Chinese AI firms' efforts to reduce reliance on NVIDIA amid US export restrictions.
Baidu earns most of its revenue from online advertising tied to its search engine, with a growing AI Cloud segment that includes Ernie API access and Kunlun chip sales.
China (Beijing)
Foundation models and AI laboratories. The organizations actually building the AI models themselves, like the systems behind ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. This is the most crowded, fastest-moving layer of the AI economy right now.
Connections (4)
Every connection below is tied to a readable source, date, classification and statement of its limits. A company source establishes what that company stated; it does not necessarily provide independent confirmation.
Current relationships (1)
Source: 2024-06-04 · reviewed 2026-09-24
Evidence: Secondary reporting (unconfirmed by primary parties) · Reported operating
Limits: Baidu's own announcement as reported by the South China Morning Post; Tesla did not comment in this report. It does not establish payment terms, that Baidu data feeds Tesla's Full Self-Driving perception stack rather than the navigation display, or that the arrangement is still in force.
Chinese internet giant Baidu to provide map service for Tesla EVs (South China Morning Post) ↗Dated or announced (1)
Source: 2019-12-18 · reviewed 2026-09-20
Evidence: Primary-source statement · Dated: first-generation Kunlun chip foundry announcement, December 2019; mass production targeted early 2020. Not confirmed as Baidu's current/sole foundry relationship.
Limits: Confirms Samsung as foundry for Baidu's first-generation Kunlun chip only (2019 announcement, 2020 production target). Does not establish whether Samsung remains Baidu's foundry for later Kunlun generations (Kunlun II, III), order volumes, contract value, or that this relationship is operating in 2026.
Baidu and Samsung Electronics Ready for Production of Leading-Edge AI Chip for Early Next Year (Samsung Newsroom, Dec 18, 2019) ↗Comparisons (2)
Source: 2025-11-28 · reviewed 2026-09-20
Evidence: Analytical comparison · Reported operating
Limits: Does not establish Kunlunxin's market share relative to NVIDIA or performance parity; reflects the two companies' overlapping product category (AI accelerator chips).
Baidu is emerging as a major AI chip player in China to fill the Nvidia gap ↗Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-20
Evidence: Analytical comparison · Reported operating
Limits: Reflects overlapping product categories rather than a direct claim by either company, and does not indicate relative market share.
Baidu launches Ernie 5.0 as the firm's AI assistant users reach 200 million a month ↗Baidu launches Ernie 5.0 as the firm's AI assistant users reach 200 million a month ↗
Reviewed
Inclusion in this database is not an endorsement of a company or its securities. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and none of it is individualized investment advice. See the disclosures. Data: AI Map v3.22, released .