From the soaring stock price of NVIDIA, to the cutting-edge developments at Facebook and Google, AI hardware is a hot topic. We set out to learn more about what executives should know about the coming developments in AI hardware – and how it might impact different industries and sectors. In the subsections of the article that follows, we will delve deeper into these questions, highlighting the key insights from the professionals we corresponded with. AI software has always received the lion's share of attention, but as the computational resources needed to process this software soar exponentially, a new generation of AI chips is coming into being. Developments in AI hardware will take the spotlight, as companies converge at the AI Hardware Summit September.

China's largest search engine, with 70% of the search market, has been facing deeply negative perceptions and increased competition for advertising from the likes of Tencent's WeChat, China's all-in-one app, and newer arrivals like Bytedance, with its news and short video apps. Nevertheless, Baidu on Feb. 21 beat expectations on fourth-quarter revenues, which came in at $3.96 billion, even as it posted a 50% drop in net profit for the quarter. It recorded $14.88 billion in revenues for the year and $4 billion in net profit, and reported strong growth in users for its mobile app and voice-recognition software. Baidu's heavily reliant on ad earnings for the moment--but it's trying to change that. It has set high goals for developing artificial intelligence, from self-driving cars to personal assistants, in the hopes that it will dominate the field in China and beyond.

AI/Robotics-focused venture capital firm and research lab COMET LABS' co-founder Liu Wei has been hired by BAIDU VENTURES as its new CEO. Baidu Ventures is the independent investment arm of the Chinese technology conglomerate, Baidu. As the new CEO of Baidu Ventures, Wei will be leading investments and strategic partnerships for the firm with a strong focus on developing new artificial intelligence technologies. Additionally, Wei and Baidu Ventures will be strengthening their partnership with Comet Labs both in the United States and in China. Baidu Ventures has committed resources and talent to enhance Comet Labs' industry-focused accelerator programs, beginning with the Transportation Lab that was recently opened for startup applications.

Baidu Ventures exists on the front-lines of the Chinese search giant's push to brand itself as an artificial intelligence company. In an effort to bridge the AI ecosystems of China and the United States, Baidu Ventures is partnering with Comet Labs, a San Francisco-based fund specializing in machine intelligence. Unlike other venture capital firms looking to diversify into AI, Comet Labs lives exclusively in the space -- providing capital, technical resources and mentorship to its startups. Wei Liu, now head of Baidu's $700 million venture arm, was part of the founding team at Comet Labs before he was poached into the world of corporate venture. "Baidu founded Baidu Ventures to build an ecosystem around AI technology and do investment to help AI startups with money, technology and connections to industrial players," asserted Liu.

Chinese Internet search company Baidu Inc. has launched Baidu Venture, a USD 200 million venture capital unit. It will focus on artificial intelligence projects which are at the early stage. The company also plans to develop a self-driving car platform by partnering with chipmaker Nvidia Corp, according to South China Morning Post. "AI is our opportunity and we're pretty fortunate the world is coming to this stage," said Baidu Venture chief executive Robin Li Yanhong, who also commented on its "first-mover advantage" over competitors. Sign in and read the full article in emis.com

Baidu Inc said on Tuesday that it has launched its first venture capital firm focusing on artificial intelligence - the Chinese online search behemoth's latest effort to stake out a spot in the burgeoning technology field. Called Baidu Venture, the new company will focus on early-stage projects in artificial intelligence and other next-generation technologies, such as augmented reality and virtual reality, according to a statement from Nasdaq-listed Baidu. Robin Li, Baidu's chief executive officer, is the chairman of the venture capital firm. For its first stage, the firm is equipped with an initial investment fund of US 200 million. Baidu said in its statement that the company would be an independent entity, separate from the company's existing investment and acquisition team, so that it could "use an innovative evaluation mechanism to speed up the decision-making process and make investments more efficient."