Baidu: Continuing in forward gear

Baidu: Continuing in forward gear

Shanghai, Sept. 1, 2021

Xiadou Technology – Baidu’s AI voice assistant – has secured new funding at a valuation of $5.1 billion. China’s version of Google did not disclose the amount of the Series B funding. DuerOS developer Xiaodu was last valued at $2.9 billion in November.

DuerOS, a conversational AI platform, allows smart devices to use Baidu’s AI assistant to communicate with users.

Baidu’s (Xiaodu) smart devices, including speakers and wireless headphones, all use the voice assistant. Xiaodu entered the market in 2018 with 100 smart speakers and is now said to be the largest smart display vendor by sales. Baidu remains a majority shareholder in Xiaodu.

After losing market share for its search engine, Baidu now calls itself a „leading AI company with [a] strong internet foundation.“

Recently, the company announced mass production of its latest Kunlun AI chips and unveiled an autonomous robot car.

Baidu said higher demand for its AI and cloud products led to an increase in revenue in the second quarter of 2021.