Vol.09 How Should Search Engines Work in the Agent Era? A Conversation with Yu Chen and Zhiheng Du on AI "New Infrastructure"

In August, Microsoft Bing Search API will shut down, and AI app builders are bracing for a "supply cut" shock. Amid this infrastructure shakeup, search entry points for Agents are emerging as a new market.

In this episode, we invited Du Zhiheng, CEO of Cloudsway.AI, to share his journey from Baidu and hedge funds to the front lines of AI entrepreneurship, and why he chose to "build a search engine for Agents." Chen Yu, Partner at Yunqi Capital, also returns to the show, bringing a venture capital perspective to discuss the market opportunity and business models of Agent infrastructure.

[Guests]

Chen Yu, Partner at Yunqi Capital

With deep expertise in AI, embodied intelligence, and other frontier technology sectors, his representative investments include MiniMax (large model unicorn), DeepRoute.ai (leading autonomous driving company), and PingCAP (open-source database unicorn), among others.

Du Zhiheng, CEO of Cloudsway.AI

Previously at Baidu and a Sequoia Capital hedge fund, Cloudsway.AI is an Agent infrastructure service provider offering one-stop real-time search, model aggregation, and compute services for Agents. Its model aggregation platform Skyrouter.ai has integrated over 100 mainstream global models. The company's intelligent search API handles hundreds of millions of monthly calls, with business resources deployed across 80+ countries and regions, having successfully helped hundreds of enterprises achieve AI transformation and upgrading.

[Host]

Linda, Managing Director at Yunqi Capital

[Timeline]

Part 1: Getting to Know Our Fascinating Guest

01:05 From internet and hedge funds to AI entrepreneurship: what changed and what stayed constant in these "unconventional" choices

Part 2: Opportunities Behind the Search Engine Ecosystem Shift

08:59 The signals and opportunities behind Bing Search API's discontinuation

15:22 What is Cloudsway.AI doing? Why choose the dual-product approach of "Search API + Model Aggregation"?

22:20 How big is the market for Agent search engines? How do the technology and product differ from conventional search engines?

28:16 Cloudsway.AI's product deployment and competitive advantages

31:42 Business models for serving Agents

Part 3: Heart-to-Heart on AI Entrepreneurship, ToB Business, and Globalization

34:07 Advice for AI entrepreneurs: passion-driven vs. rational analysis — two wheels driving together matter more

35:41 Lessons from globalized ToB entrepreneurship: why is the China market a "grinding ground," not a "profit ground"?

40:21 Cloudsway.AI looks forward to building the Agent world together with more developers and entrepreneurs!

🟠 Bonus

Follow the WeChat official account "小宿科技Cloudsway.ai" to receive 💡 2,000 intelligent search API calls or equivalent professional service package 💡

Thank you for listening. For more insightful analysis on AI technology, industry trends, and entrepreneurship, follow the WeChat official account "云启资本."

View the transcript of this episode on Xiaoyuzhou.