io.net Achieves SOC 2 Compliance, Strengthening Its Position in the DePIN Market

The decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) sector has witnessed remarkable growth, with its total market capitalization soaring to $14.6 billion, supported by over 423 tracked protocols, including 102 focused on compute. This evolution marks a shift from a speculative concept to a robust marketplace that is reshaping the economics of computation. The surge in artificial intelligence (AI) has intensified the demand for high-performance computing, pushing traditional cloud providers to their limits. This has led to the emergence of Computation DePIN, a decentralized model that utilizes distributed hardware to offer scalable and cost-effective computing solutions. Despite the promising advancements, the institutional market remains cautious due to compliance and verification challenges that hinder broader adoption. The economic advantage of decentralized compute is significant, with DePIN networks offering GPU services at a fraction of the cost charged by traditional cloud providers. For instance, while AWS charges between $10 to $12 per hour for an Nvidia H100 GPU, DePIN networks provide similar services for just $1 to $2 per hour. This pricing discrepancy highlights a potential $80 to $150 billion compute opportunity by 2027, but the path to widespread acceptance hinges on addressing issues related to uptime, latency, and regulatory compliance. Significant progress is being made by various players in the DePIN space. Companies like Aethir and Akash are leading the charge with enterprise-grade solutions and transparent pricing models. New entrants like ArgentumAI aim to bridge the compliance gap by repurposing underutilized GPUs while ensuring enterprise-grade security. The DePIN architecture not only offers economic advantages but also enhances resilience through a globally distributed network of GPUs. However, for DePIN to transition from a cost-effective alternative to a primary compute layer for AI, it must overcome reliability and compliance challenges, ensuring that enterprises have access to verifiable service level agreements and predictable billing structures. The future of decentralized compute looks promising, with the potential to become a cornerstone of AI infrastructure in the digital era.

At the recent DePIN Day Buenos Aires, hosted by Fluence, Filecoin unveiled its innovative Filecoin Onchain Cloud, a decentralized cloud platform designed to provide verifiable storage, rapid data retrieval, and fully programmable on-chain payments. This platform, still in its early stages, has already garnered interest from various communities including ERC-8004, Ethereum Name Service (ENS), and KYVE, among others. Recognizing the vulnerabilities of centralized infrastructure, especially in light of recent outages affecting major cloud providers, Filecoin aims to offer a resilient alternative for developers seeking open systems that can support the growing demands of Web3 applications. Filecoin Onchain Cloud is built to address the increasing pressures on centralized stacks, particularly as AI systems generate vast amounts of data and regulatory environments dictate data residency. The platform expands the Filecoin network into a programmable layer for cloud services, allowing developers to create on-chain storage, retrieval, and payment logic. Molly Mackinlay, CEO of FilOz, emphasized that this platform brings essential guarantees of verifiability, programmability, and openness to cloud-scale infrastructure, enabling developers to build unstoppable Web3 applications powered by a global network of Filecoin service providers. The launch of Filecoin Onchain Cloud is supported by a suite of core services, including Warm Storage for online data retention, Filecoin Pay for automated payments, and Filecoin Beam for incentivized data retrieval. These services allow developers to compose, monitor, and monetize their data services effectively. Notably, integrations with platforms like ENS and Monad facilitate the deployment of trustless frontends and AI systems, respectively. With the mainnet launch scheduled for January 2026, Filecoin Onchain Cloud represents a significant advancement in creating a more open and verifiable internet, as highlighted by Marta Belcher, President of the Filecoin Foundation.

The Theta ecosystem is set to revolutionize decentralized media and AI interactions with the introduction of the Theta Pulse Subchain, or TPulse. This innovative subchain is designed to enhance transparency and data integrity across the Theta EdgeCloud network, which has already seen significant adoption by major brands such as the Vegas Golden Knights and Olympique de Marseille. With the increasing demand for scalable and verifiable analytics, TPulse aims to track and validate AI interactions, turning each engagement into a cryptographically verifiable transaction. This not only ensures transparency but also creates new economic models for brands and developers in the rapidly evolving Web3 landscape. The need for blockchain in EdgeCloud analytics arises from the limitations of centralized systems, which struggle with transparency and data portability. TPulse addresses these issues by recording every user interaction—whether it’s asking a question, watching a video, or making a purchase—as an immutable event on the subchain. This creates a tamper-proof record of engagement that can be utilized by various applications within the Theta ecosystem, including loyalty programs and NFT platforms. The subchain also enhances the economic viability of EdgeCloud by providing transparent AI compute usage and revenue distribution, ultimately driving demand for Theta’s distributed compute network. Scheduled to launch on November 18, the TPulse subchain will initially scale to support a significant portion of live partner implementations. As it rolls out, it will facilitate a new era of on-chain AI analytics, transforming how brands, developers, and users interact within the Theta network. With its focus on verifiable analytics and decentralized compute, Theta is positioning itself as a leader in the convergence of AI and blockchain technology, paving the way for innovative applications and stronger partnerships across various sectors.

On November 18th, 2025, the Filecoin ecosystem unveiled Filecoin Onchain Cloud, a decentralized cloud platform designed to provide verifiable storage, rapid data retrieval, and fully programmable onchain payments. This launch, announced during DePIN Day in Buenos Aires, represents a significant step towards creating a resilient alternative to centralized cloud services, which have recently faced outages that disrupted Web3 applications. The platform aims to empower developers by offering a programmable layer that integrates storage, retrieval, and payment functionalities, ensuring that decentralized applications (dApps) can operate without reliance on traditional infrastructures. Filecoin Onchain Cloud is built on years of collaboration within the Filecoin community, combining hot storage proofs, composable smart contracts, and onchain payment systems. The platform introduces essential services such as Filecoin Pin for content persistence, Filecoin Pay for automating payments, and Filecoin Beam for incentivized data retrieval. These tools enable developers to create and manage data services that are not only efficient but also auditable and tamper-proof. As highlighted by Molly Mackinlay, CEO of FilOz, this initiative promises to unleash a wave of innovation in onchain services, providing the necessary building blocks for a new era of decentralized applications. Several early integrations have already emerged, showcasing the potential of Filecoin Onchain Cloud. Projects like ERC-8004, Ethereum Name Service (ENS), and KYVE are leveraging the platform to enhance their functionalities with verifiable metadata and decentralized storage solutions. For instance, ERC-8004 builders are using Filecoin Pin to ensure agent identities are securely stored, while ENS is creating a trustless frontend stack in conjunction with Filecoin Onchain Cloud. As the platform continues to evolve, it is set to play a pivotal role in shaping a more open and resilient internet, with a mainnet launch anticipated in January 2026.

In the third quarter of 2025, Filecoin's network demonstrated notable changes in utilization and economic dynamics. Network utilization increased from 32% to 36%, despite a 10% decrease in total storage capacity, which fell to 3.0 EiB. This decline was attributed to the exit of some storage providers (SPs) following the network v27 "Golden Week" upgrade, which improved overall efficiency. The total network fees rose by 14% to $793,000, primarily driven by penalties, which accounted for 99.5% of the fees. Active storage demand remained stable, with only a slight decrease in stored data to 1,110 PiB, although the average daily new transaction volume dropped by 19%. The number of onboarded datasets increased by 3%, indicating ongoing adoption by enterprises and research institutions. Filecoin's commitment to building a decentralized marketplace for data services is evident through its innovative storage model. Utilizing a cryptographic proof-based incentive model, Filecoin ensures that storage providers reliably store client data. The introduction of Proof of Data Possession (PoDP) in May 2025 added a layer of ongoing verification, enhancing the network's reliability. The average daily new storage deal volume fell by 19% in Q3, reflecting a shift towards fewer but higher-value verified deals. The network's focus on verified data clients through the Filecoin Plus (Fil+) pathways has streamlined the onboarding process, marking a transition towards supporting enterprise-grade workloads. The ecosystem surrounding Filecoin is evolving, with significant partnerships and projects aimed at cultural and scientific data preservation. The Filecoin Foundation's collaboration with the GSR Foundation has led to the funding of impactful projects, further establishing Filecoin's role in verifiable data preservation. Additionally, new applications like Akave's S3-compatible object storage service and Storacha's Bluesky Backup App are enhancing the network's utility. As the network prepares for the upcoming Filecoin Onchain Cloud and the 7th Filecoin Developer Summit, it is clear that Q3 2025 has set the stage for a more efficient and focused Filecoin ecosystem, emphasizing verified data and enterprise storage solutions.

Helium [HNT], a prominent decentralized physical infrastructure network operating on the Solana blockchain, has recently seen a notable price increase of over 16% within the past month. This surge is largely attributed to its token buyback program initiated on October 20. As of now, the daily trading volume for HNT has reached approximately $17 million, marking a 25% increase. The price action is currently forming a bottoming pattern, raising questions about whether the on-chain activity and the underlying fundamentals will support a complete price reversal for HNT. The Helium Network's fee generation and its token buyback strategy have demonstrated a clear correlation. Since the launch of the buyback program, HNT has utilized the fees collected to repurchase its tokens, thereby managing the circulating supply effectively. Although these buybacks initially propelled HNT's price upwards, the momentum has begun to stabilize since early November, with an average of $30,000 worth of HNT repurchased over the past month. This strategy aims to reduce the circulating supply, potentially leading to a price increase if demand aligns accordingly. In addition to the buyback program, there has been a significant rise in token transfers and decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volumes. The total transfer volume recently hit $30 million, while DEX trading volume reached $3 million, the highest in a week. Despite a brief price dip, HNT has maintained support above the $2 level, forming a developing head-and-shoulders pattern. For HNT to achieve a bullish breakout, it must close above the $2.74 resistance zone. However, the overall weakness in the cryptocurrency market poses a risk to this bullish outlook, as any breakdown below the current pattern could invalidate the potential for a price recovery.