04:29 AM EDT, 03/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Baidu ( BIDU ) said Sunday it has launched its new artificial intelligence foundational models ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1.

ERNIE 4.5 "outperforms" GPT-4.5 in multiple benchmarks, while the deep-thinking reasoning model ERNIE X1 is capable of performing "on par" with DeepSeek R1, both at comparatively lower price points, Baidu ( BIDU ) said.

The models are available through Baidu's ( BIDU ) ERNIE Bot with planned integration into the company's product ecosystem, including search, it said.