Sina to leave Google for own search engine technology

Sina's CEO Charles Chao states the company is already working on an in-house program for the search function in Sina Weibo (microblog). The search development team said the new function allows users to search by username, content and topics.

Chao states that the overall Sina portal could switch to the internally developed search platform "anytime". However, details have not yet been disclosed.

Sina's Q2 net profit is reported to have grown 89 per cent compared to the same period last year. This is partly due to the World Cup and the Shanghai World Expo, which Sina is tied up with.

By 30 June, the Q2 revenue had increased 18 per cent to US$94.7 million. However, according to Reuters, the mobile value-added-service segment, which comprised more than a fifth of the firm's revenue, slid more than a third to $20 million.

Sina currently holds 46 per cent of the market share in China in the online ad market, worth approximately $142 million.

Last month, Yahoo Japan announced it will be migrating to Google search technology by the end of the year.