Overview
- Baidu’s chip unit Kunlunxin outlined launches for the M100 in 2026 and the M300 in 2027, though key manufacturing details such as foundry and process node remain undisclosed.
- Kunlunxin has begun to win business, including orders from suppliers to China Mobile, while Baidu sells chips to third parties and rents compute through its cloud.
- The company runs its ERNIE models on a mix of self‑developed chips and Nvidia hardware, reflecting constrained access to top‑end Nvidia GPUs under U.S. export rules.
- JPMorgan forecasts Baidu’s chip sales to reach 8 billion yuan in 2026, and Macquarie estimates the Kunlun unit’s valuation near $28 billion, with Deutsche Bank calling it a leading domestic developer.
- Chinese tech giants report ongoing AI chip shortages and capacity bottlenecks, and industry watchers note both migration challenges from Nvidia’s ecosystem and new opportunities for software and integration services.