Baidu unveils two AI chips amid US export curbs

• Expected to offer Chinese firms greater control over their computing infrastructure as global tensions reshape the technology supply chain.
• Baidu is now positioning these latest chips as alternatives to US-designed hardware now subject to tightened export rules.
• Baidu also revealed two “supernode” products leveraging advanced networking to connect hundreds of processors for high-performance AI workloads.

Baidu has introduced two new artificial intelligence semiconductors, the M100 and M300, in a bid to supply Chinese enterprises with powerful and cost-effective AI compute options amid continued US export restrictions.

Announced Thursday at the Baidu World technology conference, these domestically developed chips are expected to offer Chinese firms greater control over their computing infrastructure as global tensions reshape the technology supply chain.

The M100, focused on AI inference, will launch in early 2026, while the more versatile M300, designed for both training and inference, is slated for early 2027. Having developed its own processors since 2011, Baidu is now positioning these latest chips as alternatives to US-designed hardware now subject to tightened export rules.

Domestic innovation

In addition to the new AI chips, Baidu revealed two “supernode” products leveraging advanced networking to connect hundreds of processors for high-performance AI workloads.

The Tianchi 256 supernode, built from 256 of Baidu’s P800 chips, will debut in the first half of next year, with a 512-chip version to follow in the second half. Supernodes are seen as a way to compensate for individual chip limitations and compete with industry leaders—including Huawei’s CloudMatrix 384 and Nvidia’s recently released GB200 NVL72.

Baidu also showcased the latest version of its Ernie large language model, highlighting expanded capabilities in text, image, and video analysis, as the company races to stay at the forefront of China’s competitive AI landscape.

The moves come as China accelerates efforts to localise its tech supply chain, bolstered by state and industry pressure on domestic innovation. Baidu’s announcements signal both resilience and ambition in the face of ongoing chip trade restrictions, as the company aims to establish itself as a key supplier of next-generation AI silicon for the Chinese market.