In 1992, when Robin Li applied to a computing graduate-school program in the United States, the interviewing professor asked him: “Do you have computers in China?” The question left Li stunned. From this, he vowed to demonstrate that China has a powerful computer industry.
And that is exactly what he did. In 2000, Li founded Baidu. It grew into a search engine that is second only to Google in popularity worldwide. Its market share of 80 per cent makes it the world’s fourth most popular website. Valued at US$60 billion, its presence in China is rivalled only by fellow behemoths Alibaba and Tencent. Aside from search results, Baidu Maps directs every motorist in China, Baidu Baike rivals English Wikipedia for sheer encyclopaedic content, and Baidu Fanyi allegedly provides more accurate translation than Google’s competing Translate service.
While Baidu may be seen by many as a cheap knockoff of Google, its progress now has Mountain View losing sleep. Baidu’s offerings are now arguably more polished and more innovative than Google’s, but available only in China. Furthermore, with the best brains in China working for its AI project, Baidu has set its sights on computing’s next frontier – intelligence equal to that of a human. Some US$1.2 billion of Baidu’s US$9 billion revenue over the first three-quarters of 2017 was put back into R&D, according to published accounts – much of it into AI.
China too, is itself marching towards the future of AI. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that whoever masters AI will become “ruler of the world.” Last year, China’s State Council issued a Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan to become the “premier global AI innovation center” by 2030, when it predicts China’s core AI industry will be worth US$148 billion, with AI-related fields at US$1.48 trillion. And Baidu intends to take full advantage of the coming world of AI.
In this issue, SME discovers the journey of Baidu and Robin Li, from humble beginnings, to seeing off the mightiest American giant, and the way forward in China’s hypercompetitive environment.
Denne historien er fra August 2018-utgaven av SME Magazine Singapore.
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Denne historien er fra August 2018-utgaven av SME Magazine Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Cloud- Driven Recovery
With digital transformation being an important catalyst for Malaysia’s inclusive economic recovery, cloud computing plays an important role that enables . the country to acquire the advantages that technology offers.
Live Werkz: Venturing Beyond Southeast Asia
Being forward-looking in its approach has enabled LiveWerkz Pte Ltd to survive the Covid-19 pandemic, says vice president Tricia Ng. Despite being a Singaporean company, the company does not focus its efforts in the Southeast Asia region. Instead, Greater China and the Middle East become the foundation for its businesses. Ng tells SME the company’s strategies in facing a challenging future.
Singapore's Go Digital Well Received
More than 78,000 of Singapore’s SMEs have participated in the country’s Go Digital programme since its 2017 launch, with more about 40,000 becoming participants last year, including 30,000 that received Covid-19 incentives from the government.
Accountants And SMEs: Creating A Sustainable World
For SME finance professionals, ‘sustainability’ is about achieving longevity. However, there is a confusion over different definitions of sustainability. They recognise the growing importance of tackling sustainability issues but lack the understanding of how doing this can be integrated into day-to-day practices within the finance function.
Rebuilding Our Mental Well-Being In Sales
Sue Barrett is a writer, training provider and entrepreneur who founded Barrett in 1995 to positively transform the culture, capability and continuous learning of leaders, teams and businesses.
Omicron: A Test Of Resilence
Global manufacturers have been facing a supply chain crisis since the start of the year. Just as it appeared that the situation was beginning to stabilise, the Omicron Covid variant reared its ugly head.
Silver Lining In The Cloud
Although RAS Security Pte Ltd’s business was adversely affected by the pandemic, there’s a silver lining in the cloud. The occurrence has necessitated the company to innovate its business model to remain viable and led to the discovery of new areas of security service provision. Managing director Tejdeep Singh shares his journey.
Accelerating Artificial Intelligence
Singapore is introducing two new public artificial intelligence (AI) programmes as part of the strategy to use technology for social and economic good, involving a total allocation of S$680 million to accelerate AI research. The latest initiatives require a funding of S$180 million.
Three Tips For Hiring Top Talents
BIG EGOS LOSE TALENTS First up, when it comes to hiring, you must put aside your ego.
The Economy Is Recovering, But What About People?
All signs are pointing towards a speedy recovery. Contrary to what this writer initially predicted, the economy seems to be genuinely recovering.
