Core Viewpoint - Baidu's Q2 2025 financial report slightly exceeded market expectations, with AI-related new businesses experiencing a 34% growth, enhancing market confidence in Baidu's return to an expansion cycle [6][8]. Financial Performance - In Q2 2025, Baidu achieved total revenue of 327 billion RMB, with core revenue of 263 billion RMB and iQIYI contributing 66 billion RMB. Online marketing revenue was 162 billion RMB, while non-online marketing revenue surpassed 100 billion RMB for the first time, growing 34% year-on-year, driven by AI-related growth in smart cloud and other businesses [8][10]. - Operating profit for Q2 2025 was 33 billion RMB, with a core operating profit margin of 13%. Net profit attributable to Baidu was 73 billion RMB, a 33% year-on-year increase, with a core net profit margin of 28% [10][12]. AI Business Expansion - Baidu's AI-related new business revenue exceeded 100 billion RMB for the first time, growing 34% year-on-year, primarily due to the rapid growth of subscription-based AI infrastructure and smart cloud services, which saw a 27% increase [18][20]. - The company is also benefiting from the growth of innovative businesses like smart driving, with significant partnerships and a 148% year-on-year increase in global ride service instances [20]. AI Search Transformation - Baidu has initiated a significant transformation of its search capabilities, with the introduction of an "intelligent box" that supports multi-modal queries. AI-generated content now accounts for 64% of search results, improving user engagement metrics [14][15]. - The company has tested AI search monetization capabilities, showing optimistic prospects for enhancing traditional online marketing through improved user experience and conversion efficiency [15][16]. Long-term Outlook - Baidu's long-term performance is viewed positively due to its all-in AI strategy, which is expected to enhance user experience and drive traditional online marketing recovery as AI search capabilities mature [13][14]. - The company is positioned to benefit from the growing demand for AI training and inference, with its smart cloud services expected to contribute stable long-term growth [16][22]. Valuation Perspective - As of August 20, Baidu's market capitalization was 2,144 billion RMB, with a PE ratio of 7.8, indicating a relatively low valuation compared to historical averages and peers like Google and Alibaba. After accounting for net cash, the effective market value is approximately 600 billion RMB [24][27]. - The market's concerns regarding short-term performance fluctuations due to business transformation have not fully priced in the long-term potential of AI, suggesting that Baidu's investment value remains noteworthy [27].