Baidu further strengthens AI capability after buying Silicon Valley start-up xPerception
Company continues to focus on AI to regain traction after Chinese government’s tighter online advertising regulations dampen its core search engine business
Baidu, the operator of China’s dominant online search engine, has bought US start-up xPerception, founded by former engineers from software, internet and computer services firm Magic Leap, as it continues in its quest to attract the best talent in Silicon Valley.
XPerception specialises in visual perception, a key technology that enables intelligent hardware such as robots and drones to “see” the world.
Founded in Mountain View, California, in 2016 by former Magic Leap engineers Bao Yingze and Chen Mingyu, xPerception will have its core team joining Baidu Research and continuing to develop the company’s core technology – visual inertial simultaneous localisation and mapping.
The size of the deal is unknown, and Baidu refused to comment beyond a statement.
The takeover is the latest in a string of investments aimed at strengthening Baidu’s leadership in artificial intelligence.
Earlier this year, it hired former Microsoft executive Lu Qi, a leading AI scientist, as its chief operating officer. The firm also acquired Beijing start-up Raven Tech, which specialises in voice-controlled AI, and integrated its team into its smart home devices business.
