Can DePIN become the next emerging track?
Written by: Santy, Blockchain in Plain Language
As AI permeates every aspect of our lives at an unprecedented speed, the demand for computing power is like an insatiable black hole. Centralized computing giants are revving up their engines, but a more disruptive force is quietly rising in the Web3 space—DePIN. It not only attempts to reshape traditional storage and networking through token incentives but also sets its sights on the hot field of AI computing power. Imagine a world where globally idle GPU and CPU resources are efficiently connected, providing a continuous stream of power for AI model training and inference.
According to the "DePIN Report" released by Messari at the end of 2024, the DePIN market maintained over 120% year-on-year growth in the past year, with storage and wireless communication sectors leading the way. With projects like Render Network and Grass emerging, we have reason to believe that DePIN is opening a new door for AI computing power sharing.
So, in this new AI race driven by "shared computing power," who will seize the opportunity first and become the true frontrunner? In 2025, how will DePIN break through the existing landscape and play a key role in the AI wave?
What is DePIN?
DePIN, short for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network, can be seen as a new model that aims to transfer the power of managing various physical resources around us—such as storage space on computer hard drives, home wireless networks, or computing capabilities—from large companies like Amazon and Verizon to ordinary users worldwide. DePIN allows everyone to contribute their idle resources and receive tokens in return.
Imagine a peer-to-peer system without intermediaries: the unused hard drive space on your computer can help build a global storage network; your home Wi-Fi router can become part of a decentralized internet. Blockchain technology acts like a public and transparent ledger, recording everyone's contributions and automatically and securely distributing rewards through smart contracts, ensuring fairness. DePIN is a crucial part of the Web3 transformation.
It is worth mentioning that DePIN is not a fanciful concept; it is already becoming a reality. According to data platforms like DePIN Scan, there are now several hundred active DePIN projects covering many fields, including energy, transportation, computing, and communication, with practical applications accelerating.
How does DePIN work?
DePIN combines blockchain technology with various resources in our real world. Its operation is roughly as follows:
Blockchain is the foundation: Like a public ledger, it records everyone's contributions, and smart contracts function as automatically running protocols that securely handle rewards. Public chains like Ethereum and Solana provide the underlying technical support for many DePIN projects.
Everyone contributes resources: Users can contribute their idle physical assets, such as excess bandwidth, storage space, computer GPUs (which are crucial for AI computing), electric vehicle charging stations, or even home solar panels.
Contributions yield rewards: As long as you contribute resources, you can receive tokens issued by the network as rewards (such as Filecoin's FIL or Helium's HNT). This reward mechanism is crucial as it effectively mobilizes idle resources globally.
For example, through Filecoin, you can rent out your unused hard drive space to others. The blockchain will use cryptographic techniques to confirm that you are indeed providing storage services, and then you will receive FIL as compensation without any intermediaries. This approach not only reduces costs but also establishes a reliable network that is hard to censor. According to official data from Filecoin, by the end of 2024, their network storage capacity had exceeded 20 EiB, providing reliable decentralized storage services for global users.
The application scope of DePIN is very broad, covering many industries:
Decentralized storage: Like a distributed "cloud drive," it can replace traditional centralized cloud services. In addition to Filecoin, Arweave has also attracted many users with its one-time payment model for permanent storage.
Wireless networks: Building IoT and remote area network connections through community power. Helium Network has not only performed well in the LoRaWAN (a low-power wide-area network technology) field but is also actively transitioning to 5G networks, aiming to build a more comprehensive decentralized wireless communication infrastructure.
Energy sharing: Establishing a peer-to-peer renewable energy trading market. Projects like Powerledger are attempting to use blockchain technology to track and trade renewable energy, improving energy utilization efficiency.
AI and computing: Unlocking idle computing power to drive an intelligent future. Utilizing everyone's idle computer processing power (especially GPUs) to accelerate AI model training or 3D image rendering. Render Network and Akash Network gather global idle GPU and CPU computing power to provide cheaper and more efficient solutions for AI model training, 3D rendering, and other compute-intensive tasks. As artificial intelligence develops at an unprecedented speed, the demand for computing power is growing exponentially, and DePIN shows great potential in providing distributed, affordable AI computing power, likely breaking the monopoly of centralized computing giants and accelerating the popularization of AI technology.
Transportation: DIMO Network encourages car owners to share their vehicle data, establishing a decentralized automotive data platform that can be used for smart transportation, insurance, and many other applications.
Geospatial data: Hivemapper encourages users to collect high-definition map data using dashcams, aiming to build a more real-time and accurate decentralized mapping service, challenging traditional service providers like Google Maps.
Environmental monitoring: PlanetWatch uses a global network of sensors to monitor air quality, providing more detailed and transparent environmental information. Users can earn rewards by deploying and maintaining these sensor nodes.
Content Delivery Network (CDN): Theta Network utilizes everyone's idle bandwidth and computing resources to accelerate video playback and content distribution, aiming to reduce CDN costs and provide a smoother video viewing experience.
In summary, DePIN reduces costs, protects privacy, and allows more people to participate in the construction and use of infrastructure—this is precisely why DePIN can develop in 2025.
Overview of Potential Projects in the DePIN Track
According to Depinscan data, the total market value of the DePIN track has exceeded $15 billion, with over 300 DePIN projects, many of which have already begun to see real-world applications:
Filecoin: The Leader in Decentralized Storage
Filecoin is like a decentralized Amazon S3, focusing on providing secure and private storage services.
By the end of 2024, the storage capacity of the Filecoin network had exceeded 20 EiB. Filecoin has maintained a leading position in the decentralized storage field, with storage utilization steadily increasing. They have also launched the Filecoin Virtual Machine, making the ecosystem more vibrant and capable of doing more.
Helium: Innovator in Wireless Networks
In the Helium network, users can deploy devices called "hotspots" to help build a decentralized wireless network and earn HNT tokens as rewards (HNT has now been split into IOT and MOBILE tokens).
Currently, the Helium network has deployed over 1 million hotspots, covering many parts of the world. Messari's report indicates that Helium has formed significant network effects in the LoRaWAN field and is actively developing 5G networks. They are also collaborating with telecom operators like Nova Labs (formerly Helium) to promote decentralized 5G networks in the U.S. alongside Dish Wireless.
Helium provides internet access for IoT devices and remote areas, becoming a beneficial complement to traditional telecom infrastructure.
Grass Network: Sharing Bandwidth to Empower AI Data Collection and Model Training
Based on the Solana blockchain, Grass allows users to share their unused bandwidth. More importantly, it is actively exploring the use of users' device computing power (including GPUs) to participate in AI model data collection and distributed training, with users earning Grass Points (which can be exchanged for GRASS tokens in the future).
Messari's report specifically mentions Grass's unique resource-sharing model and its potential in supporting AI development. They are also collaborating with some AI companies to contribute to AI advancements using everyone's idle bandwidth and computing resources.
Render Network: Decentralized GPU Computing Engine
Render Network is the main platform connecting idle GPUs for AI model training and inference, as well as compute-intensive tasks like 3D rendering, with users earning RNDR tokens (which have now migrated to the Solana blockchain). The Render Network ecosystem has been expanding, attracting more AI researchers, artists, and designers to use their services.
Messari's report indicates that Render Network is leading in decentralized GPU rendering and AI computing, with significant growth in revenue and active user numbers. Their RNDR token's market value also saw a substantial increase in 2024, indicating a strong market demand for decentralized GPU computing power. For instance, in AI model training and film special effects rendering, Render Network has already helped complete many important projects.
Hivemapper: Mapping with Community Power
Hivemapper encourages users to collect map data through dashcams installed in their cars, collaboratively building a decentralized map.
Hivemapper's network coverage is expanding, with contributors from around the globe. The real-time nature and accuracy of their map data are continuously improving, and they are beginning to attract attention from some enterprise users. Hivemapper challenges traditional centralized map service providers by offering more timely and detailed geospatial data.
PlanetWatch: Monitoring Global Air Quality
PlanetWatch utilizes sensors deployed by users to monitor air quality, providing decentralized environmental data. The sensor network of PlanetWatch continues to expand, collecting a vast amount of air quality data. This data is valuable for environmental research, smart city development, and more.
Theta Network: Smoother Video Playback
Theta Network leverages users' idle bandwidth and computing resources to accelerate video streaming and content distribution. Theta Network has been collaborating with various video platforms and content providers to expand their network coverage and content distribution capabilities. Their technology effectively reduces CDN costs and enhances the user viewing experience. It can be said that Theta Network has disrupted traditional content distribution models, providing users with a smoother and cheaper video viewing experience.
Opportunities and Challenges Facing DePIN
According to relevant reports from Messari, the total market value in the DePIN sector has grown by over 120% in the past year, attracting many institutional investors and developers. Many venture capital firms and analysts are optimistic about the future of DePIN, believing it will become the next significant growth point in the Web3 space.
The advantages of DePIN include:
More economical: It does not require large-scale centralized investments; instead, it attracts global users to contribute resources through token rewards, reducing the costs of building and operating infrastructure.
More reliable: Decentralized networks are more resistant to single points of failure and censorship than traditional centralized systems, enhancing the stability and reliability of the network.
More inclusive: As long as you have the required devices and network, anyone can participate, lowering the barriers to entry and allowing more idle resources to be utilized.
High demand: There is an increasing demand for more efficient, secure, and economical decentralized solutions in sectors like telecommunications, energy, AI, and IoT, providing a vast market for DePIN. Especially in the AI field, the demand for computing power is nearly limitless, and the distributed, low-cost computing solutions offered by DePIN are expected to be key in addressing this bottleneck. For instance, with the proliferation of AI applications like large language models, the demand for edge computing and distributed AI computing power will become even more urgent, and DePIN can meet these needs.
Behind this trend is the growing demand for decentralized solutions in industries such as telecommunications, energy, and AI, which are facing transformation.
Of course, DePIN also faces some challenges:
Regulatory issues: Governments around the world have unclear regulatory policies regarding cryptocurrencies and decentralized networks, which may introduce some uncertainty into the development of DePIN.
User habits: Transitioning users from familiar centralized systems to the new DePIN network requires time and education, making the enhancement of user experience very important.
Security issues: The security of smart contracts is crucial; any vulnerabilities could lead to the loss of user assets. Additionally, the physical infrastructure itself may also face security risks.
Interoperability between different projects: Currently, there is a lack of unified standards among different DePIN projects, which may limit the development of the entire ecosystem.
Projects like Grass are addressing privacy issues using technologies like zero-knowledge proofs, while Helium's collaboration with traditional telecom operators indicates that DePIN is being accepted by a broader industry—these signs suggest that DePIN is working to overcome these challenges. Meanwhile, the industry is actively exploring standards and protocols for DePIN to promote interoperability among different projects.
Conclusion
In summary, DePIN is poised to occupy an important position in 2025 because it cleverly combines the decentralization, transparency, and incentive mechanisms of blockchain with the urgent demand for physical infrastructure in the real world. Especially in the area of AI computing power sharing, pioneers like Render Network and Grass are exploring new possibilities, likely breaking the monopoly of traditional centralized computing giants.
This is not just a technological innovation but a profound transformation of traditional resource allocation methods. Pioneers like Filecoin, Helium, Grass, and Render are painting a picture of a more open, efficient, and inclusive decentralized future through practical applications and continuous innovation. In this future, everyone has the opportunity to be both a contributor to and a beneficiary of infrastructure, and the idle resources in our daily lives will unleash tremendous value.
The Web3 transformation driven by DePIN has just begun. As technology matures and the ecosystem improves, we have reason to believe that DePIN will play an increasingly important role in the future digital economy, especially in the field of AI computing power. So, who will ultimately lead this new race for shared AI computing power? Let’s wait and see.
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