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, /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu, Inc. ("Baidu" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: BIDU; HKEX: 9888 (HKD Counter) and 89888 (RMB Counter)), a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, today announced that the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") approved a motion to pursue the voluntary conversion to dual-primary listing (the "Primary Conversion") on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong Stock Exchange"). The Primary Conversion is expected to become effective within this year. The Board also authorized the Company's management to proceed with the relevant preparatory work and undertake the necessary procedures to complete the Primary Conversion.

After the Primary Conversion, the Company will become a dual-primary listed company on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and its Class A ordinary shares and American depositary shares will continue to be traded on both stock exchanges (as the case may be) and remain mutually fungible. The Company believes that the dual-primary listing, once effective, will enhance the liquidity of its securities, broaden its investor base and provide greater flexibility in accessing both capital markets.

The Primary Conversion is conditional upon and subject to, among other things, market conditions and the obtaining of the necessary regulatory approvals. The Company will make further announcement(s) to disclose any material updates and progress with respect to the Primary Conversion in accordance with applicable laws and regulations as and when appropriate. This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute, or form part of, any invitation or offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any securities of the Company. Shareholders and potential investors should exercise caution when dealing in the securities of the Company.

About Baidu

Founded in 2000, Baidu's mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on Nasdaq under "BIDU" and HKEX under "9888". One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "intend," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "is/are likely to" and similar statements. Baidu may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in announcements made on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Baidu's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Baidu's growth strategies; its future business development, including development of new products and services; its ability to attract and retain users and customers; competition in the Chinese Internet search and newsfeed market; competition for online marketing customers; changes in the Company's revenues and certain cost or expense items as a percentage of its revenues; the outcome of ongoing, or any future, litigation or arbitration, including those relating to intellectual property rights; the expected growth of the Chinese-language Internet search and newsfeed market and the number of Internet and broadband users in China; Chinese governmental policies relating to the Internet and Internet search providers, and general economic conditions in China and elsewhere. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the SEC, and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Baidu does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of the announcement, and Baidu undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE Baidu, Inc.

Hong Kong-listed shares of Baidu surged more than 7% Monday on reports that its artificial intelligence chip unit Kunlunxin is targeting an initial public offering in the city, which could value its affiliate at $50 billion.

Prospective investors were asked to buy semiconductors worth three to seven times the value of their intended investment in Kunlunxin's planned listing, The Information reported Sunday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Baidu confidentially filed a listing application for Kunlunxin on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at the start of the year, though offering details, including size and structure, were undecided then.

Kunlunxin chips have drawn interest from ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, according to an earlier Reuters report citing sources. 

Founded in 2011, Kunlunxin mainly supplies ‌chips to its parent company Baidu. While Baidu retains a controlling stake, the company operates independently and has broadened its scope to external sales over the past two years.

The report comes as China accelerates efforts to strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive AI sector.

"Despite Chinese progress, the United States remains for now ahead in the race for dominance over the so-called artificial intelligence hardware stack – the resources and equipment, especially semiconductors, needed to run AI models," according to a report by Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel.

However, the think tank also noted that "the signs of Chinese catch-up are real," citing factors such as an open-sourced toolkit with a state-backed contributor pipeline and a large enough domestic market that could buoy the ecosystem through its immature phase.