Baidu, Inc. engages in the provision of internet search services in China. It operates through two segments: Baidu Core and iQIYI. The company offers Baidu App to access search, feed, and other services using mobile devices; Baidu Search to access its search and other services; Baidu Feed that provides users with personalized timeline based on their demographics and interests; Baidu Health that helps users to find the doctor and hospital for healthcare needs; and Haokan, a short video app. It also provides Baidu Knows, an online community where users can ask questions to other users; Baidu Wiki; Baidu Experience; Baidu Post; ERNIE Bot, conversational AI bot; Baidu Wenku; Baidu Maps, a voice-enabled mobile app that provides travel-related services; Baidu Drive; Baijiahao; and DuerOS, a smart assistant platform. In addition, it offers online marketing services, which include pay for performance, an auction-based services that allow customers to bid for priority placement of paid sponsored links and reach users who search for information related to their products or services; other marketing services that include display-based marketing services and other online marketing services based on performance criteria other than cost per click; mobile ecosystem, a portfolio of apps, including Baidu App, Haokan, and Baidu Post; various cloud services and solutions, such as platform as a service, software as a service, and infrastructure as a service; self-driving services, including maps, automated valet parking, navigation pilot, electric vehicles, and robotaxi fleets, as well as Xiaodu smart devices. Further, the company provides iQIYI, an online entertainment service, including original and licensed content; other video content and membership; and online advertising services. It has strategic partnership with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The company was formerly known as Baidu.com, Inc. Baidu, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.

Baidu, Inc.

Alphabet’s GOOGL Search business is benefiting from AI infusion. The company is leading the search domain with 90.4% market share, followed by Microsoft’s MSFT Bing, with 4.08% share, Yandex’s 1.65%, Yahoo!’s 1.46%, DuckDuckGo’s 0.87% and Baidu’s BIDU 0.75%, per the latest data from StatCounter.
Alphabet has been introducing AI-powered features frequently to boost user engagement of its Search business. GOOGL recently introduced two new features in Search and Discover. One of the AI-powered features helps Discover users stay up to date on the latest happenings and trending topics. The feature is now available in the United States, South Korea and India. Search users can now keep up with the latest sports information thanks to the second feature. Alphabet is bringing Nano Banana to Google Search.
Alphabet is advancing visual and contextual search capabilities. The Circle to Search feature is now active on more than 300 million devices. The company is adding functionalities to help people explore complex topics and ask follow-up questions without switching apps. AI Overviews now reach more than 2 billion users per month and are available in over 200 countries across 40 languages. Google’s AI-powered Search features are driving deeper engagement, with AI Mode offering advanced reasoning and multimodal responses.
Google’s AI-powered Search features are driving deeper engagement, with AI Mode offering advanced reasoning and multi-modal responses. Users are generating queries twice as long as those in traditional searches. The launch of AI Mode in the United States and India, where it currently has more than 100 million monthly active users, is expected to drive growth. GOOGL is expanding AI mode in Google Search by adding more than 35 languages and above 40 new countries and territories. AI Mode in Search is now expanded to more than 200 countries and territories.
GOOGL Faces Tough Competition
Microsoft is keeping no stone unturned to improve the capabilities of Bing. MSFT has been integrating AI into Bing thanks to its partnership with OpenAI. The company introduced Copilot Search in Bing in April this year and launched Bing Video Creator in June.
Meanwhile, Baidu has launched new AI-powered tools to support its search business. Baidu introduced an advanced video generation model that transforms still images into dynamic clips. BIDU’s search box now accepts up to 1,000 Chinese characters, far surpassing the previous 28-character limit.
GOOGL’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
Alphabet shares have appreciated 32.9% year to date, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s return of 22.9%.
GOOGL Stock Outperforms Sector
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The GOOGL stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month price/sales of 8.27X compared with the broader sector’s 6.88X. Alphabet has a Value Score of D.
GOOGL Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is pegged at $9.93 per share, down 3 cents over the past 30 days, suggesting 23.5% growth from fiscal 2024’s reported figure.
Alphabet Inc. Price and Consensus
Alphabet currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power.
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Alphabet Focuses on AI to Boost Search Growth: More Upside Ahead?

Baidu’s BIDU generative AI overhaul marks one of the most ambitious attempts yet to reinvent the search experience. The company’s ERNIE-powered AI Search is shifting from static, hyperlink-driven results to intelligent, multimodal-first AI-generated responses, transforming search from an information retrieval tool into an adaptive, conversational system. This initiative is expected to make Baidu’s AI Search more intuitive, visual and personalised, positioning the company at the forefront of generative AI adoption among global peers. The transformation’s scale is substantial, with AI Search reaching over 90% of Baidu App’s monthly active users by July, signalling rapid adoption across its ecosystem.
At the heart of this reinvention is the ERNIE model family, which powers Baidu’s AI Search ecosystem, designed to understand user intent, complete tasks and connect directly to services. The company is expected to deepen this integration by evolving AI Search from discovery to task completion, embedding visual and interactive elements such as images and videos at the top of results, and personalising responses based on user context and preferences. Baidu is also linking AI Search to real-world utilities like maps, museum information and payment tools, which could turn it into a gateway for service execution rather than simple information retrieval.
However, execution risks around content quality and relevance remain significant. Rapidly deploying AI-generated responses at this scale raises concerns about accuracy and hallucination, challenges that could hamper user trust and overall experience. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Baidu’s third-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $4.31 billion, down 9.96% year over year, reflecting near-term strain from this transition. Ultimately, Baidu’s ERNIE-powered AI Search is expected to redefine how users search, learn and transact, provided innovation evolves in step with reliability and user confidence.
Baidu Faces Intensifying AI Search Rivalry
Baidu’s AI-driven search transformation is unfolding amid fierce competition from Alphabet GOOGL and Microsoft MSFT. Alphabet’s Google Search is accelerating its Gemini-powered generative interface, pushing multimodal reasoning into everyday queries. Microsoft, through Bing and OpenAI integration, continues to redefine AI-assisted search experiences. Both Alphabet and Microsoft are scaling conversational tools that directly rival Baidu’s ERNIE-powered search ecosystem. As Alphabet refines ad personalisation and Microsoft extends AI capabilities across Edge and Copilot, Baidu’s ability to sustain differentiation through local data strength and model efficiency will determine its resilience in this escalating global AI search race.
BIDU’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
Baidu’s shares have jumped 38.8% in the year-to-date period, while the Zacks Internet - Services industry and the Zacks Computer and Technology sector have appreciated 32.1% and 23.9%, respectively.
BIDU’s YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, BIDU’s forward 12-month price/earnings ratio is 14.24X, which is below the industry average of 24.41X. BIDU has a Value Score of B.
BIDU’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BIDU’s third quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at $1.32 per share, down by a penny over the past 30 days, indicating a 44.3% year-over-year decline.
Baidu, Inc. Price and Consensus
Baidu currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power.
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Can ERNIE-Powered AI Search Reinvent Baidu's Core User Experience?

Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for BAIDU INC (ADR) (BIDU). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, BIDU rates highest using our Twin Momentum Investor model based on the published strategy of Dashan Huang. This momentum model looks for a combination of fundamental momentum and price momentum.
BAIDU INC (ADR) (BIDU) is a large-cap value stock in the Advertising industry. The rating using this strategy is 100% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
Detailed Analysis of BAIDU INC (ADR)
BIDU Guru Analysis
More Information on Dashan Huang
About Dashan Huang: Dashan Huang is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University. His paper "Twin Momentum" looked at combining traditional price momentum with improving fundamentals to generate market outperformance. In the paper, he identified seven fundamental variables (earnings, return on equity, return on assets, accrual operating profitability to equity, cash operating profitability to assets, gross profit to assets and net payout ratio) that he combined into a single fundamental momentum measure. He showed that stocks in the top 20% of the universe according to that measure outperformed the market going forward. When he combined that measure with price momentum, he was able to double its outperformance.
Additional Research Links
Top Russell 2000 Stocks
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Guru Fundamental Report for BIDU

Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for BAIDU INC (ADR) (BIDU). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, BIDU rates highest using our Twin Momentum Investor model based on the published strategy of Dashan Huang. This momentum model looks for a combination of fundamental momentum and price momentum.
BAIDU INC (ADR) (BIDU) is a large-cap value stock in the Advertising industry. The rating using this strategy is 100% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
Detailed Analysis of BAIDU INC (ADR)
More Information on Dashan Huang
About Dashan Huang: Dashan Huang is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University. His paper "Twin Momentum" looked at combining traditional price momentum with improving fundamentals to generate market outperformance. In the paper, he identified seven fundamental variables (earnings, return on equity, return on assets, accrual operating profitability to equity, cash operating profitability to assets, gross profit to assets and net payout ratio) that he combined into a single fundamental momentum measure. He showed that stocks in the top 20% of the universe according to that measure outperformed the market going forward. When he combined that measure with price momentum, he was able to double its outperformance.
Additional Research Links
High Free Cash Flow Yield Stocks
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Validea Detailed Fundamental Analysis - BIDU

BIDU Quantitative Stock Analysis

Baidu BIDU has surged 42.3% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Internet-Services industry and the Zacks Computer and Technology sector, which have advanced 28.9% and 22.9%, respectively. The rally reflects renewed investor confidence in Baidu’s accelerating AI Cloud growth, expanding global footprint of its autonomous driving platform Apollo Go and steady progress in applying generative AI across its ecosystem. As the company advances these initiatives amid intensifying competition, investors face a key question: should they add exposure now or wait for a more attractive entry point ahead? Let's delve deeper to find out.
BIDU’s YTD Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Apollo Go’s Global Expansion Adds Strategic Optionality
Baidu’s autonomous driving arm, Apollo Go, has emerged as a central pillar of the company’s long-term growth strategy. The platform has now surpassed 14 million cumulative rides, reflecting triple-digit year-over-year growth and reinforcing Baidu’s leadership in China’s autonomous mobility landscape. Strategic partnerships with Uber and Lyft mark the beginning of a global rollout across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, enabling Baidu to scale through established ride-hailing networks while maintaining an asset-light model that limits capital intensity.
Operational breakeven in early domestic markets highlights the strength of Apollo Go’s economics, particularly as expansion moves toward higher-fare international cities. The purpose-built RT6 vehicle — engineered for Level 4 autonomy and among the lowest-cost production models in its class — provides a durable cost advantage that should widen as fleet deployment increases. With active right-hand-drive testing in Hong Kong and new operations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Baidu is extending its technological leadership into more complex traffic environments.
Competition in autonomous mobility is intensifying globally, with Tesla TSLA advancing its Full Self-Driving system and pursuing wider commercial deployment. However, Baidu’s Apollo Go already operates fully driverless fleets across multiple Chinese cities under regulatory approval, underscoring a clear execution lead in large-scale autonomy. As regulatory frameworks mature worldwide, Apollo Go offers Baidu a differentiated, potentially multibillion-dollar growth engine that extends well beyond its legacy advertising business.
Baidu's AI Advancement Creates Bright Growth Prospects
Baidu’s accelerating artificial intelligence capabilities continue to shape its long-term growth narrative. BIDU’s ERNIE 4.5 foundation models and Qianfan Cloud platform form the backbone of its AI ecosystem, offering enterprises an end-to-end suite for model training, deployment and application development. Qianfan’s expanding model library, which includes Baidu’s open-sourced ERNIE models and third-party multimodal systems, is enhancing flexibility across enterprise use cases while improving inference efficiency and cost performance.
Baidu’s AI Cloud has maintained its leadership position as China’s top-ranked AI cloud provider for the sixth consecutive year, supported by its four-layer architecture that integrates infrastructure, frameworks, models and applications. The platform’s growing suite of AI tools — including Comate, an AI coding assistant and Miaoda, a no-code development platform — continues to expand developer adoption and strengthen the company’s ecosystem reach.
While Baidu remains well-positioned in AI infrastructure, continued reinvestment is expected to keep margins and free cash flow under pressure in the near term. Sustaining leadership will hinge on the faster commercialisation of AI Search and Qianfan Cloud, alongside demonstrating that heavy upfront spending can evolve into scalable, recurring revenue over time.
Valuation Discount Provides Margin of Safety
Baidu trades at a forward P/E of 14.82X, representing a 38% discount to the sub-industry average of 23.98X and nearly 50% below the sector multiple of 29.24X, indicating that the market may still be undervaluing the company’s long-term AI potential and growing exposure to autonomous mobility.
Baidu’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This valuation gap stands out when compared with its peers. Alibaba BABA trades at 18.51X forward earnings, while Tencent TCEHY commands an even higher 21.16X multiple, both reflecting premium valuations as they expand into enterprise AI and digital services. The contrast is further underscored by Tesla’s 190.03X multiple, which captures global investor optimism for autonomous and AI-driven mobility, whereas Baidu’s fully driverless operations remain more conservatively priced despite clear progress in commercialisation.
The discount largely reflects investor caution around Baidu’s advertising slowdown and uneven cash flows amid heavy AI reinvestment. Yet the company’s net cash position of RMB 155.1 billion as of June 30, 2025, provides ample flexibility to sustain innovation while maintaining financial stability. In the second quarter of 2025, non-online marketing revenue surpassed RMB 10 billion, up 34% year over year, supported by 27% growth in AI Cloud to RMB 6.5 billion, signaling accelerating diversification and a steady shift toward higher-quality, recurring revenue streams over time.
However, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $4.34 billion, indicating a 9.33% year-over-year decline. The consensus mark for earnings per share is pegged at $1.32, down a penny over the past 30 days and implying a 44.30% year-over-year decline. These figures highlight how intensifying competition and slower AI monetization are weighing on near-term performance visibility, particularly as Alibaba and Tencent continue expanding their AI-led platforms and enterprise partnerships, reinforcing their ecosystem advantage over smaller players.
Baidu, Inc. Price and Consensus
Conclusion
Baidu’s accelerating investments in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure and autonomous driving are laying the foundation for its next growth phase. Apollo Go’s expanding international presence, the continued scaling of Qianfan Cloud and the evolution of its ERNIE foundation models position the company at the centre of China’s AI ecosystem. However, slower monetisation and ongoing reinvestment are likely to keep near-term profitability constrained.
At current levels, Baidu’s valuation already reflects much of the optimism surrounding its transformation, yet still trades at a meaningful discount to peers such as Alibaba, Tesla and Tencent. This combination of structural progress and conservative pricing supports a measured approach. Prudent investors may prefer to hold existing positions and new investors should wait for a more attractive entry point as clearer catalysts for AI commercialisation and margin recovery emerge.
BIDU stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

3 Reasons to Hold BIDU Stock Now Despite a 42.3% Year-to-Date Rally

In recent trading, shares of Baidu Inc (Symbol: BIDU) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $124.16, changing hands for $125.72/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised.
There are 19 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Baidu Inc, but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $81.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $177.00. The standard deviation is $29.79.
But the whole reason to look at the average BIDU price target in the first place is to tap into a "wisdom of crowds" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with BIDU crossing above that average target price of $124.16/share, investors in BIDU have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $124.16 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Baidu Inc:
»
Current
1 Month Ago
2 Month Ago
3 Month Ago
Strong buy ratings:
12
9
9
9
Buy ratings:
1
0
0
0
Hold ratings:
7
8
8
8
Sell ratings:
0
0
0
0
Strong sell ratings:
0
1
1
1
Average rating:
1.75
2.11
2.11
2.11
The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on BIDU — FREE.
Also see:
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Baidu Reaches Analyst Target Price

Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for BAIDU INC (ADR) (BIDU). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, BIDU rates highest using our P/E/Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Peter Lynch. This strategy looks for stocks trading at a reasonable price relative to earnings growth that also possess strong balance sheets.
BAIDU INC (ADR) (BIDU) is a large-cap value stock in the Advertising industry. The rating using this strategy is 91% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
Detailed Analysis of BAIDU INC (ADR)
More Information on Peter Lynch
About Peter Lynch: Perhaps the greatest mutual fund manager of all-time, Lynch guided Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund to a 29.2 percent average annual return from 1977 until his retirement in 1990, almost doubling the S&P 500's 15.8 percent yearly return over that time. Lynch's common sense approach and quick wit made him one of the most quoted investors on Wall Street. ("Go for a business that any idiot can run -- because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it," is one of his many pearls of wisdom.) Lynch's bestseller One Up on Wall Street is something of a "stocks for the everyman/everywoman", breaking his approach down into easy-to-understand concepts.
Additional Research Links
High Free Cash Flow Yield Stocks
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

BIDU Quantitative Stock Analysis - Peter Lynch

Key Points
Alibaba, a long-time user of Nvidia’s AI processors, is now working on its own competing technology.
It recently unveiled a processor with the same performance specs as Nvidia’s AI accelerator approved for sale overseas.
Although it’s unlikely Alibaba stock will produce the same sort of recent gains Nvidia shares have, it’s still an enticing investment prospect.
There's no denying Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has earned its place as the world's biggest publicly traded company. Its technology is the heart and soul of most of the planet's artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, and AI itself is working to become one of the most revolutionary inventions of all time. That's why so many companies here and abroad continue buying as many of Nvidia's accelerators as Nvidia can sell them.
As could have been predicted, though, the company's near monopoly of the AI hardware market wasn't going to remain unchecked forever. Competitors like Intel and Advanced Micro Devices want to capitalize on the opportunity as well, while governments grow leery of their businesses becoming too dependent on a single supplier of any crucial technology.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »
That's certainly been the case in China, anyway. While Beijing was tolerant of the use of American-made AI processors when the industry was in its infancy, trade tensions and national security concerns soon prompted a homegrown response. No surprises there.
What's surprising is the organization leading China's AI hardware development effort. That's Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA). Yes, China's e-commerce giant. Even more surprising is that the e-commerce powerhouse is doing a great job on the AI development front. It may even become the Nvidia of China.
And if that's what's in the cards, investors have much to gain.
Alibaba is leading China's AI charge
The bulk of Alibaba's revenue still comes from e-commerce. More than half of its Q2 2025 sales came from domestic e-commerce operations, while another 15% was driven by its international e-commerce efforts.
Alibaba is more than e-commerce, though. While still relatively small, the company's cloud computing arm -- which includes its nascent AI business -- accounts for another 15% of its total sales, and it was the second quarter's fastest-growing arm with a year-over-year improvement of 26%. If it continues expanding at its current pace, it could eventually become the company's biggest business.
This is possible, too, and even likely, given how far along the company now is on this front.
While Alibaba's been working on its T-Head parallel processing unit for a while now, the version of the processor chip unveiled last month is noteworthy. Namely, it almost perfectly matches the performance specs of Nvidia's flagship H20 GPU meant for export to overseas users. In theory, there is no reason for a Chinese firm to choose the H20 over Alibaba's silicon, particularly given that the latter costs about 40% less.
It's not just hardware, though. The software Alibaba is typically pairing with its AI solutions is at least as marketable as Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem, if not more so. That's because Alibaba is largely building its AI platforms in a way that makes it easy to use open-source software, which tends to be more flexible than closed-off systems like Nvidia's CUDA.
The company has also made clear to all potential customers that its cloud solutions and artificial intelligence solutions are meant to be purchased in tandem, with many of its tools being aimed at its existing cloud customers.
And given the opportunity that Alibaba has just within its home country and its near neighbors, don't be surprised if the company makes an Nvidia-size splash there.
Opportunity awaits
A recent analysis done by JPMorgan speaks volumes. As its researchers bluntly noted in response to China's recent AI development work, "A sleeping giant awakens." Quantifying the comment, JPMorgan's analysts believe China's AI industry could be worth $1.4 trillion by 2030, translating into a 52% return on investments made in this tech in the meantime.
This technology will, of course, be sold as a service outside China, but it will also be used within its borders to improve the nation's own business efficiency. Goldman Sachs expects that whatever gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate the nation was going to experience through 2030 will now be improved by 20 to 30 basis points thanks to China's growing adoption of AI.
Alibaba's processors won't be responsible for all of this expansion. Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) is working on its own AI processors, as is Huawei. Baidu's Kunlun processor was technically China's first domestically made AI silicon, in fact.
It's not quite a direct threat to Alibaba's eventual dominance, though. Baidu's Kunlun is a cloud-to-edge AI chip largely meant for the mobile market. It doesn't have the same sort of raw computing power of Alibaba's T-Head, which is expected to be able to handle heavier-duty inference work like figuring out how respond to a new query when there's no specific data or clear history to draw on. China's state-owned telecom outfit, China Unicom, already ordered a bunch of Alibaba's T-Head processors for a new data center in Qinghai, in fact, even before these chips officially entered mass production.
And this may be just a taste of the demand that awaits. Again, JPMorgan expects China's AI market to grow to $1.4 trillion by 2030, while the country's total GDP is a little less than $20 trillion right now.
It's no Nvidia, but it's still a buy, or will be soon enough
Will Alibaba replicate all the success that Nvidia has dished out over the course of the past three years, after the launch of ChatGPT set off an AI arms race? For that matter, will Alibaba stock reproduce the 1,400% gain that Nvidia's stock has made during this stretch?
The answer to both questions is probably not.
Don't lose perspective on the comparison, though. Nvidia was in the right place at the perfect time with the right product, further assisted by the fact that nobody saw such a phenomenon taking shape coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was more than a little bit of luck involved. Even if Alibaba does only half as well from here as Nvidia has, it will still be a fantastic investment.
And yes, it certainly looks like Alibaba could become the Nvidia of China, even if its net opportunity is measurably smaller. Analysts believe the company's top line is not only going to grow all the way through 2027, but also accelerate the whole time.
Just don't tarry too long if you're interested. Although Alibaba stock is a bit overheated right now and arguably due for a dip, it's unlikely that that dip is going to drag this ticker back down to its most recent major low. Take whatever decent-size discount you can get.
Should you invest $1,000 in Alibaba Group right now?
Before you buy stock in Alibaba Group, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Alibaba Group wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $663,905!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,180,428!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,091% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 192% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2025
JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Baidu, Goldman Sachs Group, Intel, JPMorgan Chase, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group and recommends the following options: short November 2025 $21 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Alibaba's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Push: Could This Be China's Best Answer to Nvidia?

The artificial intelligence revolution has positioned two tech giants at the forefront of innovation and investor attention. Baidu BIDU, China’s leading search and AI company and Meta Platforms META, the social media conglomerate behind Facebook and Instagram, represent contrasting yet compelling approaches to AI monetisation. Both are investing heavily in foundation models, cloud infrastructure and next-generation computing, though they operate in very different markets and regulatory settings.
Each company shares the ambition to scale large language models, expand cloud capabilities and build immersive digital experiences that redefine how technology fits into everyday life. As BIDU and META develop formidable AI ecosystems while pursuing distinct growth paths, the question for investors is which presents the stronger opportunity. Let’s delve deeper to find out.
The Case of BIDU
Baidu’s transformation into an AI-first enterprise is reshaping both its growth composition and financial trajectory. The company leads China’s AI ecosystem through three key pillars - AI Cloud, autonomous driving and the modernisation of its search platform. Its four-layer architecture spanning infrastructure, frameworks, models and applications enables deeper enterprise integration and supports long-term scalability across sectors.
In the second quarter of 2025, total revenues declined 4% year over year, as softer online marketing trends offset strength in newer businesses. Baidu Core revenues reached RMB 26.3 billion ($3.66 billion), with non-online marketing revenues up 34%, driven by rising enterprise demand for AI-powered cloud and generative solutions. This reflects an ongoing shift toward AI-led businesses, partly offset by slower legacy advertising.
However, higher investment intensity continues to weigh on profitability. Operating income declined 45%, reflecting higher infrastructure and compute costs linked to large-scale AI deployments. The rollout of generative and multimodal search features remains in early stages, limiting near-term monetization, while investments in model training and autonomous mobility continue to lift expenses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $4.34 billion, indicating a 9.33% year-over-year decline. The consensus mark for EPS is pegged at $7.51, down by 9.7% over the past 30 days, indicating a 28.66% year-over-year decline. These trends reflect a temporary recalibration as Baidu invests heavily to build durable, high-margin AI platforms.
Baidu, Inc. Price and Consensus
The Case for META
Meta Platforms stands at the forefront of AI innovation, embedding artificial intelligence across products, infrastructure and user experiences. Its Family of Apps — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger — benefits from AI-driven personalization that enhances engagement and monetization. In the second quarter of 2025, revenues rose 22% year over year to $47.52 billion, reflecting steady growth as AI-powered recommendation systems improved content discovery and retention.
AI remains central to META’s growth roadmap. The Llama 4.1 and 4.2 foundation models power Meta AI across platforms, improving translation, search and content delivery. More than one billion users interact with Meta AI monthly, signaling strong early traction. Reality Labs — developer of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Quest headsets — extends the company’s broader vision of integrating AI into everyday devices.
META continues to maintain strong profitability metrics, supported by scale efficiency and disciplined cost management. In the second quarter of 2025, operating income reached $20.44 billion, up 38% year over year, with a 43% operating margin, reflecting healthy operating leverage across its ecosystem. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $49.39 billion, implying a 21.68% year-over-year increase, while earnings per share are projected at $6.74, unchanged over the past 30 days and up 11.77% year over year. These projections reinforce its consistent execution and sustained AI-driven growth momentum.
Meta Platforms, Inc. Price and Consensus
Valuation and Price Performance Comparison
Meta Platforms commands a valuation premium over Baidu, supported by stronger profitability, predictable cash flows and consistent execution. META trades at a forward 12-month P/E of 24.99x, compared with Baidu’s 16.48x, reflecting investor confidence in its ability to monetise AI infrastructure and sustain double-digit earnings growth. Baidu’s lower multiple, while offering potential upside, stems from compressed near-term margins as the company continues to reinvest heavily in AI and cloud expansion. Meta Platforms’ valuation, though higher, appears well-justified given its scale, margin strength and clearer visibility into monetisation from AI-powered products.
BIDU vs. META: P/E F12M Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Baidu’s shares have climbed 57.1% year to date, reflecting renewed investor optimism around its AI transformation and early traction in enterprise cloud adoption. The rally, however, has been largely sentiment-driven as earnings remain under pressure from elevated reinvestment. Meta Platforms' shares have advanced 25.3% during the same period, supported by consistent earnings growth, margin expansion and visible AI monetisation across its platforms. While Baidu’s surge highlights recovery potential, META’s steadier performance reflects durable, fundamentals-led momentum and stronger investor conviction in long-term value creation.
BIDU vs. META: YTD Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion
Both Baidu and Meta Platforms are expanding aggressively in artificial intelligence, but their growth trajectories differ in maturity and visibility. BIDU’s reinvestment cycle and evolving monetization strategy reflect a longer runway toward stable profitability, while META’s integrated AI ecosystem across consumer and enterprise platforms positions it for more immediate benefit. With stronger execution visibility and scalable product innovation, Meta’s business prospects offer better upside potential. Meta Platforms carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present, and investors may consider it a preferred pick over Baidu, which currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Zacks' Research Chief Picks Stock Most Likely to "At Least Double"
Our experts have revealed their Top 5 recommendations with money-doubling potential – and Director of Research Sheraz Mian believes one is superior to the others. Of course, all our picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier recommendations like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
See Our Top Stock to Double (Plus 4 Runners Up) >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.