China’s Baidu announces two AI processors, new version of its Ernie model

Baidu has unveiled two new proprietary semiconductors for artificial intelligence (AI), along with a major update to its Ernie large language model (LLM). The company emphasised that the new products are designed to provide Chinese firms with powerful, low-cost, and domestically controlled computing power, directly addressing tensions that restrict access to advanced AI chips produced by companies like Nvidia.

The announcements were made at Baidu’s annual Baidu World technology conference on Thursday (November 13).

New AI chips for training and inference