Baidu Q1 Core AI Revenue Surges 49% to RMB 13.6B, AI Cloud Up 79%
Baidu's Core AI-powered Business revenue hit RMB 13.6 billion in Q1, surging 49% year-over-year and accounting for 52% of general business, while total revenue rose 2% to RMB 26.0 billion. AI Cloud Infra revenue climbed 79% to RMB 8.8 billion, while Apollo Go robotaxi rides jumped 120% to 3.2 million.
1. Q1 Financial Results
Baidu reported Q1 revenue of RMB 26.0 billion, up 2% year-over-year, with Core AI-powered Business contributing RMB 13.6 billion (49% growth) and representing 52% of total. Non-GAAP operating income rose 39% quarter-over-quarter to RMB 4.0 billion, and operating cash flow remained positive at RMB 2.7 billion.
2. AI Cloud and Service Innovations
AI Cloud Infra revenue reached RMB 8.8 billion, up 79% year-over-year, driven by a 184% surge in GPU Cloud. AI Applications revenue held at RMB 2.5 billion, and Baidu rolled out ERNIE 5.1, DuMate, Miaoda 3.0 and Famou Agent 2.0 to strengthen its full-stack AI offerings.
3. Robotaxi Expansion
Apollo Go delivered 3.2 million fully driverless rides in Q1, up over 120% year-over-year, with weekly peaks above 350,000 and cumulative rides exceeding 22 million. The service now operates in 27 cities and is expanding to Switzerland, London and Dubai, having logged over 330 million autonomous kilometers.
4. Shareholder Returns and Outlook
Baidu returned US$172 million to shareholders through share repurchases in Q1, underscoring confidence in its growth trajectory. Management highlighted continued AI-driven value creation and released its annual ESG report detailing sustainability and governance initiatives.