Baidu Unveils ERNIE 4.5, Rivaling DeepSeek with Advanced AI

Baidu has launched its latest AI models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1, which offer advanced capabilities at a significantly lower cost than competitors like GPT-4.5 and DeepSeek, with ERNIE 4.5 priced at just 1% of GPT-4.5's cost.

The launch of ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 marks a significant milestone in AI technology, with ERNIE X1 outperforming DeepSeek R1 at half the price. ERNIE 4.5, a multimodal foundation model, outperforms GPT-4.5 in multiple benchmarks, offering significant cost savings compared to competitors. Baidu's focus on technological improvements has resonated positively with investors, with the company's share price increasing 4% over the last quarter.

Baidu's new AI models will be integrated into its product ecosystem, with the chatbot, Ernie Bot, set to be made free to the public on April 1. The company's decision to open-source the Ernie 4.5 series in late June is also seen as a significant move, as China increasingly embraces open-source models. The cost savings offered by Baidu's models are expected to be a major draw, particularly in Silicon Valley, where the cost of AI models is a significant concern.

ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 are now freely accessible to individual users through ERNIE Bot's official website, with enterprise users and developers able to access ERNIE 4.5's API through Baidu AI Cloud's Qianfan Foundation Model Platform. The input and output prices for the models are significantly lower than those of competitors, with input prices starting as low as RMB 0.004 per thousand tokens and output prices at RMB 0.016 per thousand tokens for ERNIE 4.5.

The launch of ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 is a significant development in the AI industry, with Baidu's focus on technological improvements and cost savings set to have a major impact on the market. As the company continues to invest in AI and make its models more accessible, it is likely to remain a major player in the industry.