Latest DePIN News

Sean Cary, Helium's co-founder and Borderless Capital's lead partner, discusses the boundless potential of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) in his latest article on CoinDesk. He explains DePIN as either bespoke networks with custom hardware or commodity DePIN that operates on everyday devices like smartphones. Cary's interest in technology was sparked by his grandfather's watch, which could tell the time with a button press, leading him to explore the future of technology.

Decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) is a growing field that integrates technology into everyday life, making it more accessible and user-friendly. The Helium Blockchain is a prime example of DePIN's power, offering a new way of thinking and simplifying complex Web3 concepts. DePIN projects like Wingbits democratize valuable data sharing and reward users through token infrastructure. The ecosystem is expanding with two types of DePIN: Commodity, which uses everyday hardware for scalability and inclusivity, and Bespoke, which focuses on precision and optimization with custom hardware.

Synternet, a blockchain that supports modular data infrastructure across major chains such as Ethereum and Cosmos, has launched its mainnet on the Cosmos network. This significant step completes the Monaco phase and marks the beginning of a new era for the decentralized data economy. Synternet's token, $SYNT, now holds real monetary value, enabling practical use within its multi-chain ecosystem. Developers can now create innovative applications using real-time, trustless data streams from all major chains. The Cosmos network offers Synternet a robust foundation for growth, with benefits like reduced gas fees and faster transaction processing. Synternet's CTO, Jonas Simanavicius, and CEO, Daniel Haudenschild, emphasize the mainnet launch's importance for the decentralized data economy and the opportunities it presents for developers and businesses. The $SYNT token is central to Synternet's ecosystem, serving as the primary payment method for data services and offering staking opportunities for token holders.

Hivemapper, a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePin), claims to expand its map database four to five times faster than Google Maps using blockchain technology. The company's co-founder, Ariel Seidman, attributes this growth to unique contributor engagement strategies, such as incentivizing early adopters with HONEY tokens. Despite mapping 21% of the world's roads in just 31 months, Hivemapper faces challenges with demand, as the project has not seen the same growth in demand as on the supply side. This imbalance is crucial because Hivemapper's token-based incentive model relies on a market for its data that matches its growth. The journey of Hivemapper offers a blueprint for how decentralized technologies can disrupt traditional industries by realigning incentives.

Coinbase has announced that it will not facilitate the upcoming merger of the Ocean Protocol (OCEAN) and Fetch.ai (FET) tokens related to the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI). The exchange will continue to support trading for both tokens until further notice but will not execute migrations on behalf of users. Instead, Coinbase will allow users to perform migrations through self-custodial wallets, including Coinbase Wallet. The token merger aims to promote the growth of decentralized AI infrastructure and challenge Big Tech's dominance in the AI sector. The ASI token is expected to become the largest decentralized AI token by market cap, with a combined cap of $5.8 billion for the three existing tokens. Other exchanges, such as Bitfinex, HTX, Bitget, Binance, and Crypto.com, have announced plans to support the merger and automatically merge the tokens for users, although the exact timeline varies.

ATOR, now rebranding to Anyone, has initiated a major transition in the privacy protocol space. This rebranding signifies a move from obscurity to a more mainstream approach to privacy. With the ATOR pool ranking among the top 15 Uniswap pools on Ethereum by value, the demand for ATOR DePIN hardware relays has skyrocketed, commanding high premiums on secondary markets. The rebrand to Anyone aims to create a privacy ecosystem accessible to all, offering an affordable entry point with physical relay units and enterprise-grade solutions for companies. The protocol's design encourages developer innovation, with projects like peaq network, io.net, and Tectum enriching the ecosystem. Supported by a strong advisory board and investors, Anyone is poised to enhance digital privacy for everyone. The project also introduces a token upgrade, with new $ANYONE tokens redeemable for the original $ATOR tokens, promising improved value accrual for contributors.

Roam, a Web3 initiative in the WBA OpenRoaming™ program, offers a unique token incentive and community growth system, attracting over 390,000 app users and 310,000 nodes across 180 countries. It aims to provide a seamless, secure, and login-free Wi-Fi network experience, leveraging the OpenRoaming™ standard introduced by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) in 2019. The standard allows for automatic device connections to participating networks without repetitive logins, enhancing user convenience and security.

The crypto community has shown concern over privacy and surveillance issues, especially after the conviction of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev and the plea deal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The community has come together to support legal fees for these cases. Nym, a privacy-focused project, offers a mixnet technology to counter AI surveillance, which is becoming easier due to AI's ability to create digital doubles for tracking and controlling behavior. Additionally, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are seen as a significant risk for surveillance and censorship, with most designs lacking privacy protections.

IoTeX has introduced a novel approach in decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePins) called the Modular DePin Infrastructure, which aims to redefine the creation and functionality of Web3 technologies. This innovation is more efficient and cost-effective compared to traditional infrastructures. The Modular DePin Infrastructure addresses the challenges faced by DePin startups, such as limited funding and technical difficulties, by offering a flexible and community-driven framework. The infrastructure's modular design allows for the assembly of customized applications through various modules, such as hardware abstraction, connectivity, sequencer, data availability, long-term storage, off-chain computing, blockchain, identity, and governance. Developers can select and combine these modules based on their project's specific needs, providing unparalleled adaptability. The modular system's flexibility supports the development of a wide range of DePin applications, including sensor networks, connectivity networks, and computing networks. Significant DePin projects like DIMO, Hivemapper (HONEY), WeatherXM, Helium, Nodle (NODL), Wicrypt (WNT), Render Network (RNDR), and Akash Network (AKT) exemplify the successful application of this modular infrastructure. The connectivity module explores wireless communication techniques to enhance connections within Web3 networks, incorporating technologies like Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, WiFi, and 5G. The sequencer and data availability modules have been adapted from existing solutions to better suit DePin applications, while long-term storage solutions like Filecoin (FIL) and Arweave (AR) meet these applications' storage needs. Blockchain platforms such as Ethereum (ETH), IoTeX, and Solana (SOL) provide essential infrastructure for development.

CoralApp, a North American team of data scientists' brainchild, is revolutionizing the web3 domain with the Coral phone, an AI-driven device designed to enhance digital interactions and integrate seamlessly with the web3 ecosystem. The Coral phone is not just a smartphone; it's a platform that supports decentralized applications (dApps), offering users control over their digital lives. It also introduces the Coral AI-phone, featuring a privacy-first AI assistant with in-depth web3 knowledge, making navigation through the web3 ecosystem effortless. The device is equipped with features like decentralized AI inferencing and federated learning, setting a new standard for mobile technology in the digital age. Coral phone also supports DePIN services, DeFi, SocialFi, and GameFi, ushering in a new era of digital interaction that prioritizes user control, privacy, and rewards.