BEIJING - Baidu Inc, China's top Internet search engine provider, announced on Friday that it will set up a platform for App developers.

The platform will be powered by the company's cloud-computing technologies and big-data processing ability.

Baidu said its new services will significantly lower costs for individual developers and speed up development time.

"Cloud computing will boost the Internet industry dramatically, and we will increase our investment in our cloud-computing sector," said Robin Li, founder and CEO of the company. He did not disclose details of the investment.

In addition, the CEO also pledged to provide more technologies and flow capacities to the App developers.

According to Baidu's 2012 cloud-computing route map, technologies such as massive-data statistics services and a Siri-like voice-recognition service are scheduled for release later this year.

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