Baidu Unveils Ernie X1 AI Model To Compete With DeepSeek

Baidu has introduced a powerful new artificial intelligence (AI) model, Ernie X1, aiming to challenge the groundbreaking DeepSeek R1.

Baidu is accelerating the rollout of its AI offerings. I Photo: imone.brunozzi Wikimedia Commons

Dubbed a “deep-thinking reasoning model,” Ernie X1 is designed for complex calculations and logical deduction—offering high performance at a fraction of the cost of traditional AI models, Fortune’s Data Sheet journalist Andrew Nusca reported.

“Ernie X1 delivers performance on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price,” Baidu stated. The Chinese tech giant plans to integrate Ernie X1 into its product ecosystem, including Baidu Search and the Wenxiaoyan app.

In addition, Baidu unveiled Ernie 4.5, the latest iteration of its flagship foundation model, claiming it surpasses OpenAI’s newly released GPT-4.5.

According to Baidu, Ernie 4.5 features significant enhancements in understanding, content generation, logical reasoning, and memory, with improved hallucination prevention and coding abilities.

Baidu is accelerating the rollout of its AI offerings. Its Ernie Bot chatbot will become free for individual users starting April 1—several weeks ahead of schedule. Furthermore, Baidu has announced plans to open-source its Ernie AI models on June 30, further cementing its position as a key player in the AI space.