Storj Collaborates with CUDOS to Enhance Cloud Storage and Compute Solutions

IoTeX Secures Investment from Animoca Brands IoTeX, a leading blockchain platform specializing in transforming real-world data into collective intelligence for AI, announced a significant investment from Animoca Brands. This partnership also involves Animoca Brands becoming a network validator and ecosystem partner for IoTeX. Since 2017, IoTeX has been instrumental in providing infrastructure for AI and blockchains by utilizing real-world data from machines and decentralized physical networks (DePINs). The platform supports over 100 projects and 40 million devices in various sectors such as mobility, robotics, energy, and healthcare. With substantial funding from investors like SamsungNext, Draper Dragon, and more, IoTeX's network facilitates AI's access to real-time data, enabling autonomous interactions with the physical world. The company's core infrastructure, including its Layer 1 blockchain, ioID decentralized identity, $IOTX token, and Quicksilver AI data framework, empowers developers to create impactful AI models and applications. Strategic Partnership for AI Innovation Animoca Brands' investment and strategic involvement mark a significant milestone for IoTeX, reinforcing its position in the AI sector and accelerating the adoption of Web3-powered AI applications. This collaboration aims to tap into the multi-trillion-dollar market for AI and real-world data. By supporting IoTeX's expansion in Asia and globally, Animoca Brands will leverage its network and industry expertise to drive innovation at the intersection of blockchain, decentralized infrastructure, tokenized assets, and AI. As a network validator for IoTeX, Animoca Brands will enhance the security, decentralization, and sustainability of the network, ensuring a robust foundation for future Web3 and AI applications. The partnership signifies a crucial step towards unlocking the full potential of decentralized infrastructure, as stated by Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, and Raullen Chai, co-founder and CEO of IoTeX. Empowering AI with Real-Time Physical Data Founded in 2017, IoTeX plays a pivotal role in providing blockchain infrastructure that integrates real-time physical data to empower AI systems. With a focus on enabling intelligent systems to operate in real-time physical environments, IoTeX's technology bridges the gap between blockchain and AI, offering opportunities for real-world AI applications. The collaboration between IoTeX and Animoca Brands signifies a significant advancement in the realm of AI innovation, aiming to drive the next phase of Web3 and AI development.

Aethir, a decentralized compute network, has recently entered into a partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), specifically its Endless Games and Learning Lab. This collaboration marks a significant milestone as it is Aethir's first venture with an educational institution. The primary goal of this partnership is to launch a pilot scheme that will explore scalable, real-world applications of applied AI within game-based learning environments. ASU is renowned for its innovation and patent achievements, making it an ideal partner for Aethir's ambitious project. The Endless Games and Learning Lab plans to utilize Aethir's distributed AI compute platform to facilitate applied research, student-led development, and interactive learning experiences. Aethir is also contributing up to $3 million in network credits to support this initiative. The first projects stemming from this collaboration are anticipated to commence in the 2025–2026 academic year. Aethir's network boasts over 435,000 containers of virtual GPU-powered hardware across more than 90 countries, including significant presences in Singapore, the US, and Hong Kong. Mark Ollila, the director of ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating that it enables the scaling of their ambitions through a high-performance, globally distributed AI infrastructure. He emphasized the vision of making educational AI and game-based learning accessible and meaningful. Aethir’s chief revenue officer, Paul Thind, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the potential for AI and edge computing to unlock new avenues for learning, creativity, and collaboration among students and researchers alike.

Ewha Womans University in South Korea has recently joined Theta's expanding academic partner network by adopting the Theta EdgeCloud Hybrid and its mobile edge network. The PAI Lab, led by Assistant Professor Junhyug Noh from the Department of Artificial Intelligence, is dedicated to developing practical AI technologies that can adapt to various real-world applications. Their research encompasses object recognition, weakly and semi-supervised learning, domain adaptation, and robust learning methods, aiming to enhance model performance while minimizing the need for labeled data. The lab is also exploring multi-modal learning and AI applications in fields such as medicine and process automation. The Theta EdgeCloud Hybrid stands out as the world's first decentralized hybrid GPU platform, integrating thousands of community-run NVIDIA GPUs alongside high-end models like A100s and H100s. This innovative infrastructure allows academic teams like the PAI Lab to conduct experiments with increased flexibility and reduced costs compared to traditional cloud services. The platform supports a range of AI research activities, including training large language models and deploying generative AI workloads, making it an attractive option for researchers seeking to push the boundaries of AI technology. Mitch Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Theta Labs, expressed excitement about the partnership with Ewha Womans University, emphasizing the lab's commitment to advancing practical AI solutions. He highlighted that Theta EdgeCloud Hybrid and the mobile Android edge network are specifically designed to facilitate high-impact research that traditional cloud providers struggle to support effectively. As Ewha Womans University continues to build its reputation as a leading institution for AI research, this collaboration is expected to yield significant advancements in the field of artificial intelligence.

In recent weeks, the TAO price has garnered significant attention as Bittensor continues to lead discussions in the AI-driven cryptocurrency sector. Despite a strong social sentiment surrounding the project, the price dynamics reveal ongoing challenges. Currently, the TAO price is navigating a critical phase, caught between bearish pressure and the potential for recovery. Market conditions indicate that while social engagement is high, with 24.8K posts and 3M interactions reported in just 24 hours, this enthusiasm is not yet reflected in the price action. The recent performance of TAO has been concerning, with a decline of 1.2% in the last 24 hours and over 23% in the past month. The price chart indicates that TAO has struggled to generate positive momentum amid a weak broader market. Resistance levels between $460 and $480 have proven to be significant barriers, and in August, TAO fell below the critical support level of $358, shifting the trend towards bearish sentiment. Currently, the token hovers around the $320 support level, with risks pointing towards a potential retest of $301. Looking ahead, the Bittensor price prediction remains cautious in the short term, as bears may target deeper corrections towards the $200 support. However, the long-term outlook for Bittensor remains optimistic due to its role in decentralized AI infrastructure. The unique design of rewarding distributed computing power with TAO tokens continues to attract long-term believers. If the broader cryptocurrency market rebounds, it could shift sentiment positively, allowing TAO to stabilize and potentially recover, with bulls eyeing the $490 level as a target for the year ahead.

The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) is transforming various industries, with IoTeX leading this innovative charge. As a modular infrastructure platform, IoTeX integrates AI applications with real-world data, enhancing sectors such as mobility, healthcare, energy, and robotics. This article explores the unique components of IoTeX’s ecosystem and its vision for the future, emphasizing its role in bridging the physical and digital realms. IoTeX operates as a blockchain-powered platform that supports both DePIN and AI applications. It features a Layer-1 blockchain utilizing a Randomized Delegated Proof-of-Stake (Roll-DPoS) consensus mechanism, ensuring scalability and security. Key elements include W3bstream, which processes real-world data from IoT devices, and ioID, a decentralized identity framework for devices and AI agents. Furthermore, Quicksilver AI enhances data verification, allowing AI applications to operate with verified data, thereby addressing one of AI's significant challenges: the reliability of real-world data. The IOTX token is central to IoTeX's ecosystem, facilitating governance, transaction fees, and staking rewards. Additionally, IoTeX has introduced Realms, dynamic knowledge bases that synthesize real-time data, providing tokenized incentives and AI-driven insights across various sectors. The DePIN AI Strategic Reserve aims to secure digital assets and foster ecosystem growth. With plans for infrastructure expansion and community engagement, IoTeX is poised to shape the future of AI and DePIN, solidifying its position as a leader in this transformative space.

As the landscape of artificial intelligence evolves, the focus is shifting from large, resource-intensive Language Models (LLMs) to more efficient Small Language Models (SLMs). CUDOS Intercloud is at the forefront of this transition, emphasizing the need for decentralization, privacy protection, and sustainable scaling. SLMs are designed to provide faster inference, reduced deployment costs, and a smaller carbon footprint, making them ideal for applications ranging from Web3 to edge AI. This shift is not merely a trend but a necessary evolution in AI development, catering to the increasing demand for speed, precision, and adaptability in various applications. CUDOS Intercloud offers a decentralized infrastructure optimized for efficient AI deployment. With renewable-powered GPU nodes accessible through digital wallets, developers can enjoy permissionless compute access without the burdens of KYC or lock-ins. The platform provides real-time GPU orchestration and preloaded templates equipped with production-grade tools. For teams transitioning from LLMs to SLMs, CUDOS Intercloud features flexible environments such as Ollama for rapid prototyping, vLLM for high-throughput deployments, and OpenManus for multi-modal AI agents. These tools facilitate experimentation with lightweight models and streamline the deployment of tailored SLM solutions. The CUDOS Intercloud platform already hosts several optimized SLMs, including DeepSeek-R1 and Llama 3.3, which are ready for immediate deployment. These models are designed for real-world applications, providing developers with the resources needed to build decentralized stacks efficiently. The transition to SLMs represents a fundamental rethink of AI development, empowering developers while ensuring data security and minimizing resource consumption. CUDOS Intercloud is committed to supporting this shift, enabling the creation of decentralized agents and scalable AI solutions that are practical for production use.