Baidu (09888.HK) shares surged 5.49% in Monday's trading session, following news that its semiconductor design firm, Kunlunxin, has secured chip orders worth over 1 billion yuan from suppliers to China Mobile for artificial intelligence projects.

According to reports, Kunlunxin will provide AI chips compatible with Nvidia's CUDA platform to suppliers, including H3C Technologies and ZTE. This development marks a significant win for Baidu's AI chip business, potentially strengthening its position in the competitive AI hardware market. The deal also highlights the growing demand for AI chips in China's telecommunications sector.

Investors appear to be reacting positively to this news, seeing it as a validation of Baidu's strategy to diversify into AI chip design. With Baidu owning a 59% stake in Kunlunxin, this substantial order is likely to have a direct positive impact on the company's future revenues and its standing in the AI industry. The market's enthusiastic response underscores the perceived importance of AI chip capabilities in the tech sector's future growth prospects.