Baidu Releases X1.1 Open-Source Reasoning Model and Integrates with ERNIE Bot

September 11, 2025

Details

  • Baidu unveiled X1.1, its latest X-series reasoning model, on September 11, 2025.
  • The company made the full model weights, code, and documentation publicly available through an online repository.
  • X1.1 now powers ERNIE Bot as its default engine, accessible via web chat or API.
  • Baidu claims improved multi-step reasoning compared to X1, though specific benchmark results were not disclosed.
  • The repository includes tutorials for chain-of-thought prompting, function calling, and support for 8k-token context windows.
  • A 4-bit quantised checkpoint allows the model to run on a single consumer GPU, enabling local experimentation.
  • The license is permissive, allowing for commercial fine-tuning similar to Meta’s Llama releases.
  • Baidu encourages external pull requests, indicating a move towards community-driven development for future X models.

Impact

Baidu’s move raises the bar for transparency, putting pressure on closed AI leaders like OpenAI and Google to open more aspects of their technology. With a permissive license and quantised weights, X1.1 could spur adoption among Chinese startups and developers struggling with U.S. export controls. Industry observers may see this as Baidu shifting focus to services and community-driven model advancements, likely intensifying competition for API pricing and global benchmark influence.

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