Baidu to expand investment in new infrastructure over next 10 years

Chinese internet search giant Baidu Inc announced it will increase investments in new infrastructure areas, which include artificial intelligence, chipsets, cloud computing and data centers, over the next decade.

More than 5 million intelligent cloud servers are expected to be deployed by 2030 and 5 million AI professionals will be cultivated in China by 2025, according to the company.

So far, Baidu has more than 10 data centers across the nation, covering Beijing, Baoding, Suzhou, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Yangquan, Xi’an, Wuhan and Hong Kong.

Wang Haifeng, chief technology officer of Baidu, said in the coming decades, new infrastructure will become a new driving force for China's economic development, with emerging technologies such as AI, cloud computing, 5G, the internet of things and blockchain as the key technological supports.

Wang added that Baidu, as an AI-based platform enterprise, helps speed up new infrastructure construction and accelerates the implementation of AI, with years of accumulated AI technological achievements and practical experiences, enabling all industries to gain unprecedented new momentum.

The Beijing-based tech heavyweight has trained more than 1 million AI talents, and set up deep learning and AI courses with more than 200 universities, including Fudan University, Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

It also has cultivated thousands of AI professional teachers from more than 400 universities, such as Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University.