Baidu's stock surged 5.89% during intraday trading on Monday, reflecting strong investor optimism following the release of the company's first-quarter financial results.
The sharp rise came after Baidu reported quarterly revenue of 32.1 billion yuan, surpassing analysts' estimates. A key driver was the performance of its AI-powered business, where revenue jumped 49% year-over-year to 13.6 billion yuan, accounting for more than half of the company's general business revenue for the first time. Revenue from AI cloud infrastructure soared 79%, helping offset continued softness in the online advertising segment.
Investors appeared to reward Baidu's strategic pivot, viewing the robust AI growth as a clear signal that artificial intelligence has become the core engine for the company's future, despite a reported decline in net profit for the quarter.

