Why Is Baidu Stock Trading Higher Monday?

Mar 25, 202411:26 UTC

Baidu, Inc BIDU stock is trading higher Monday amid reports of its partnership with Apple Inc AAPL to supply artificial intelligence (AI) services for the upcoming iPhone 16 and other Apple products in China.

The collaboration reportedly extends to the Mac operating system and iOS 18, exclusively for the versions sold within China.

These insights emerged from a Cailian Press report, highlighting Apple’s deliberations with other Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba, before settling on Baidu for its AI capabilities, the Wall Street Journal reports.

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This partnership aligns with China’s regulatory landscape, where AI models must receive approval before public deployment. Baidu’s Ernie Bot, having secured such approval, stands out among over 40 sanctioned models, underscoring its prominence in AI development.

Industry analysts view this collaboration as a significant endorsement of Baidu’s AI advancements, positioning it advantageously against competitors in China’s fiercely contested AI space.

iPhone sales in China faced challenges, even with discounts, as Huawei Technologies captured more market share and was propelled by nationalist support. U.S. sanctions on China have impacted Nvidia Corp NVDA, a leading supplier of AI chips to Apple, significantly.

Baidu stock lost over 33% in stock value in last 12 months. Investors can gain exposure to the stock via Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF PGJ and Global X Social Media ETF SOCL.