On Monday, Evercore ISI, a prominent investment firm, reaffirmed its positive stance on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), maintaining an Outperform rating and a $220.00 price target for the tech giant's shares. This endorsement follows a recent report about Apple's decision to incorporate Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU)'s artificial intelligence platform, Ernie, into its operations within the Chinese market.
The analyst from Evercore ISI highlighted the strategic benefits of this move for Apple. By partnering with Baidu, Apple can harness the advantages of generational AI technology while avoiding the substantial capital expenditures typically associated with such developments. Furthermore, this collaboration allows Apple to continue refining its internal large language models (LLMs) at a sustainable pace, sidestepping the competitive and costly process of securing high volumes of GPUs.
The second significant aspect of this partnership is the potential favor it may garner from the Chinese government. The government's initiative to promote Chinese AI innovations and position China as a leader in the AI global arena could be furthered by this deal. This is particularly relevant as investors have expressed concerns about the weakening ties between Apple and China due to Apple's attempts to reduce its supply chain dependency on the country.
The recent news of the Baidu collaboration, coupled with Apple CEO Tim Cook's visit to China for the opening of a new store in Beijing, is viewed as a step towards strengthening Apple's goodwill within the Chinese market. Evercore ISI concludes that Apple's strategic approach to AI and its efforts to diversify its supply chain, while maintaining a harmonious relationship with the Chinese authorities, are commendable. The firm stands by its Outperform rating and a $220.00 price target for Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL).
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