千帆

Baidu Qianfan, part of BAIdu AI Cloud, is an Enterprise-oriented platform for working with large language models across the full Generative AI lifecycle. Rather than being a single chatbot, it is an environment where companies and developers can select models, build APPlications on top of them, and manage deployment and Operations. Baidu positions it as a way to bring AI capabilities into real business processes, backed by the company's broader Cloud Infrastructure for computing, stoRAGe, and data.

What it does

Qianfan ACTs as a hub and development layer for foundation models. Users can access models from Baidu's Wenxin family as well as other supported models, call them through APIs, and move from prototyping toward production. It also covers the tooling around models, such as data handling, evaluation, and application building, so teams do not have to assemble every piece on their own.

Key capabilities

• Model access: Consume pretrained Foundation Models through APIs, with several model options that may vary by region and account type.
• fine-tuning and customization: Adapt models to specific domains or tasks using prepared training data.
• Application toolchain: Build generative AI applications with supporting components for retrieval, Prompting, and orchestration.
• cloud integration: Combine model services with Baidu AI cloud compute, storage, databases, and data services.
• enterprise management: Controls intended for organizational use, including access and operational oveRSIght.

Who it is for

The platform suits enterprises, software development teams, and independent developers who want a managed path to invoking and customizing large models. It is especially relevant for organizations already using Baidu AI Cloud or working within Chinese-language business contexts. Teams seeking a self-hosted open-source stack or a pure consumer chat interface may prefer other options.

How to get started

Begin by creating a Baidu AI Cloud account and locating the Qianfan service in the console. From there, review the available models and their documentation, obtain API credentials, and run a small test request to confirm access. A typical next step is to try a Sample use case, then decIDE whether fine-tuning or further application development is warranted.

Pricing and access caveats

Qianfan has offered trial access and free quotas for some models, while broader usage is Generally consumption-based, with rates tied to the model and volume. Specific free tiers, model availability, and prices may change and can differ by account and region, so confirm current terms in the official console before committing. Access is primarily web-based and documentation is mainly in Chinese, so international users should verify regional availability first.