Chinese search engine giant Baidu has become the latest member of the Linux Foundation-led Hyperledger blockchain consortium.

In joining the group – which focuses on developing blockchain technologies for enterprises – Baidu will assist the project's efforts alongside other member companies including Accenture, IBM, JP Morgan, R3, Cisco and SAP, among others.

Explaining the firm's reasons for joining Hyperledger in a statement, Baidu vice president Zhang Xuyang cited the belief that blockchain could help "better tailor" its search preferences according to users' needs.

"Over the past 17 years, we have striven to fulfill our mission by listening carefully to our users," he added. "We're thrilled to be part of Hyperledger and look forward to collaborating with other members to drive open blockchain solutions forward."

Brian Behlendorf, executive director of Hyperledger, said of the new member:

The announcement comes just a week after business network company Tradeshift also joined Hyperledger as a member. Over 160 companies, startups and organizations have now joined the consortium since it launched in 2015.

Baidu flags image via Shutterstock