Latest DePIN News

The $KICK token sale is set to launch on Fjord Foundry from December 19 at 12 PM UTC until December 23 at 10 AM UTC. This event presents a unique opportunity for investors to acquire $KICK tokens at a fixed sale price of $0.00875 each, using USDC on the Base Network. The sale marks the entry point into the XProtocol ecosystem, with the full release of tokens scheduled for the Token Generation Event (TGE) in Q1 2025. This limited-time offer encourages early participation to maximize potential rewards. In addition to purchasing $KICK tokens, participants who contribute $800 or more will unlock exclusive rewards. These rewards include an XForge Smartphone, valued at $499, which is the first node-operated blockchain DePIN smartphone, and a Xardian Node, valued at $300, which is essential for securing the XProtocol network and earning $KICK rewards. It is important to note that rewards are limited to one set per wallet, and the smartphone can be exchanged for a node if the user's country is not supported. To participate in the $KICK Xmas Sale, users must prepare their wallets by ensuring they have USDC ready on the Base Network, typically through a wallet like MetaMask. Once the sale goes live, participants can secure their tokens on Fjord Foundry. After purchasing, buyers will initially receive placeholder tokens, which can be exchanged for actual $KICK tokens during the TGE. To claim the Xmas rewards, users must connect to the designated website with their whitelisted wallet and provide shipping details, with expectations for smartphone shipments starting in Q1 2025. More updates will follow as the shipment date approaches.

PARIS - [Ubisoft](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/) is taking its Web3 gaming vision to new heights with [Captain Laserhawk](https://edenonline.ubisoft.com/): The G.A.M.E., leveraging [Aleph.im](https://aleph.im/)’s decentralized infrastructure to introduce dynamic NFTs that evolve with player engagement. This marks Aleph.im’s third consecutive integration into Ubisoft’s web3 gaming titles. ### About Captain Laserhawk: the G.A.M.E. Expanding the universe of Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix—Ubisoft’s Netflix series—Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E. is a groundbreaking multiplayer adventure that empowers its community to influence the narrative. Set in the dystopian world of Eden, a totalitarian regime replacing the United States, players assume the roles of citizens navigating challenges both in-game and across external digital channels. By increasing their citizen score, players gain influence over the evolving storyline, creating an unprecedented transmedia gaming experience. ### Ubisoft in-game NFTs powered by Aleph.im Aleph.im is a pioneer in decentralized cloud computing, providing essential infrastructure for dynamic NFT metadata, verifiable randomness, and decentralized data storage. Aleph was amidst [Ubisoft’s Entrepreneur Labs](https://www.ubisoft.com/fr-fr/company/about-us/innovation/startup-programs/lab) cohorts, and the gaming giant has been leveraging and supporting Aleph’s decentralized solutions as a node operator. Dynamic NFTs were first introduced in joint collaboration, transforming static digital assets into interactive, playable features. Aleph’s [dynamic NFT technology](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/12/21/2356156/0/en/Aleph-im-partners-with-Ubisoft-to-bring-playable-NFTs-to-AAA-games-for-the-first-time.html) was subsequently integrated into Ubisoft’s Web3 game Champions Tactics™ Grimoria Chronicles. *“We’re proud of our long-standing partnership with a world-renowned game publisher, supporting their vision to push the boundaries of Web3 gaming,”* said Jonathan Schemoul, CEO of Aleph.im. *“By integrating dynamic NFT capabilities and Aleph’s serverless architecture, Ubisoft is redefining player interaction and ownership in the gaming industry at large.”* Ubisoft's Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E. introduced the Niji Warrior ID collection, a series of 10,000 NFTs minted on Arbitrum. These IDs function as dynamic governance tools, granting holders early and full access to the G.A.M.E.’s features, exclusive rewards, and the ability to influence the project’s future direction. As players advance, their Niji Warrior IDs evolve to showcase achievements and unlock unique customization options, perks, and governance privileges—blurring the lines between identity and gameplay. Aleph’s serverless architecture hosts the metadata for the NFTs, leveraging a distributed database to store ID card information and enabling seamless updates to reflect player progress dynamically. *"Aleph.im has been an invaluable partner, allowing us to seamlessly manage dynamic NFT metadata while maintaining transparency and decentralization,”* said Didier Genevois, Executive Producer and Technical Director, Ubisoft. This partnership cements Aleph.im as the cornerstone of Ubisoft’s Web3 gaming infrastructure, supporting titles like Champions Tactics. Ubisoft’s commitment to integrating decentralized cloud infrastructure ensures that its gaming ecosystems remain secure, fair, and innovative.

The Blockchain Association (BA) based in Washington D.C. has kicked off its 'Blockchain Policy Summit' with an opening address from the incoming U.S. President, Donald Trump, who expressed his commitment to stand alongside the industry and lead the development of the crypto sector. The first day of the summit includes closed-door discussions between dozens of member organizations and government officials to delve into the current blockchain industry trends and the future direction of U.S. policies. IoTeX, a member organization, has been invited to participate in the summit. Recently, the BA officially welcomed IoTeX, highlighting their expertise in the DePIN field, which is gaining increasing interest from policymakers and regulators in Washington D.C. IoTeX's substantial knowledge is expected to enhance BA's communication with the new government. The Blockchain Association, representing the crypto industry in Washington D.C., consists of nearly 100 leading organizations and protocols. It aims to establish a reasonable and beneficial regulatory framework for blockchain technology. Over the past three years, the BA has actively engaged with numerous blockchain leaders at the policy level, participating in hundreds of discussions in the Senate and the House of Representatives. In 2023 alone, the BA was involved in 175 meetings with the Senate and House members. With the influence of the crypto-friendly political landscape under the newly elected President Trump, the Blockchain Policy Summit is highly anticipated, with notable attendees such as Senators Tim Scott, Bill Hagerty, Cynthia Lummis, and Representatives Patrick McHenry, French Hill, Ro Khanna, among others. Leading industry organizations with compliant and positive government relations, including a16z, Coinbase, Consensys, Grayscale, Messari, Ripple, Uniswap, Filecoin, and IoTeX, will participate as members at the summit. IoTeX, as a member representing DePIN, is at the forefront of discussions. DePIN, a hot topic at the summit, has piqued the interest of Washington's policymakers and regulators. As a groundbreaking technology that connects real-world devices and infrastructure with the digital world, DePIN holds unique advantages in unlocking traditional industry value and energy. IoTeX, as a leader in the DePIN ecosystem, will collaborate with other industry leaders in the DePIN working group, such as Multicoin, Hedera, Filecoin, Helium, CESS, and Geodnet, to drive discussions and policymaking on integrating real-world applications with blockchain innovation. Larry, IoTeX's ecosystem lead, emphasized the crucial 100 days ahead for U.S. crypto legislation, highlighting the growing acceptance of DePIN among legislators. Raullen Chai, IoTeX's CEO and Co-founder, stressed the importance of collaboration with policymakers in establishing a thriving DePIN and crypto ecosystem. By joining the Blockchain Association, IoTeX aims to provide clear pathways for DePIN projects to launch and expand under regulatory guidance, ensuring accessibility for all users. Through long-term collaborations with professional organizations like the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and IEEE, IoTeX is well-positioned to facilitate dialogues between DePIN and Washington's policymakers, marking a significant step in connecting the physical and digital worlds through decentralized technology.

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePin) are reshaping the tech industry by facilitating decentralized projects in real-world infrastructure. Recent developments in the DePin sector include VanEck's $2.5 million investment in DAWN for decentralized wireless service, IoTeX's collaboration with the Blockchain Association for DePin political advocacy, Exabits securing $15 million in seed funding, and more. Exabits, an AI GPU tokenization startup, received $15 million in seed funding. By tokenizing GPU compute resources, Exabits has reached a $150 million valuation and experienced a 300% quarterly revenue increase. GPUs play a vital role in the DePin AI ecosystem due to the high computing demands of AI research. While companies like Aethir focus on GPU-as-a-service partnerships, Exabits offers a unique perspective that shows promise in the sector.

Today, on December 17th, the Cryptocurrency Policy Summit organized by the Washington Blockchain Association officially opened with a keynote address from the incoming U.S. President, Donald Trump. IoTeX, as a member, was invited to participate in this summit, joining industry leaders such as a16z, Coinbase, Consensys, Grayscale, Messari, Ripple, Uniswap, Filecoin, and dozens of U.S. congressional members to discuss and promote industry policy regulations. The Washington Blockchain Association stated that IoTeX's profound expertise in the DePIN field will enhance its communication with the government, giving it a significant voice. IoTeX's ecosystem lead, Larry, learned on-site that the next 100 days are crucial for cryptocurrency industry legislation in the U.S. Real, implementable applications like DePIN are gradually gaining recognition from lawmakers. DePIN has been prioritized alongside stablecoins, DeFi, and Staking as key legislative areas. During the summit, IoTeX will engage in in-depth discussions with members of the association's DePIN working group, including Multicoin, Hedera, Filecoin, Helium, CESS, and Geodnet, on policies and regulations related to the integration of the real world with blockchain innovation.

In a significant move for the decentralized AI ecosystem, io.net has announced a partnership with Zerebro, a creative autonomous AI agent, to enhance Ethereum Validator operations. This collaboration will enable Zerebro to utilize io.net's scalable and geo-distributed GPU network, thereby boosting its computational power for Ethereum validation. The partnership aligns with io.net's mission to provide affordable and scalable GPU resources to AI startups, ensuring reliability and scalability in their operations. This initiative marks a pivotal step in integrating decentralized compute resources into the burgeoning field of AI and blockchain technology. Zerebro's Co-Founder, Agustin Cortes, emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating that access to decentralized GPU services will empower users to explore innovative AI applications and complex decentralized applications (DApps). He remarked, "Zerebro is at the forefront of bridging the AI and crypto future," highlighting the commitment to decentralization while fostering innovation. The collaboration is expected to facilitate the development of creative and scalable applications, allowing developers to harness the potential of decentralized compute networks for a variety of on-chain tasks. As Zerebro continues to develop its open-source framework, Zerepy, the focus on securing the Ethereum blockchain through Validator operations is paramount. The partnership with io.net not only aims to enhance Zerebro's core functionalities but also to create a sustainable future for autonomous AI agents. By leveraging io.net's GPU clusters, Zerebro can sustain operations and explore innovations such as large language models on decentralized networks. This collaboration signifies a promising future for the integration of AI and blockchain, fostering an environment that is both autonomous and decentralized, ultimately revolutionizing the landscape of AI agents in the web3 infrastructure.

Solana has launched Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) Compute, a groundbreaking decentralized system designed to address the surging demand for computing power driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI). Traditional computing systems are struggling to meet this demand, but DePIN offers a novel solution by leveraging underutilized resources, akin to how Airbnb allows homeowners to share their vacant properties. This innovative approach enables users to monetize their idle GPUs, making them available for developers, researchers, and startups in need of computational resources. The functionality of DePIN Compute is straightforward: users can rent out their unused GPU power, creating a new income stream while optimizing resource utilization. This decentralized model is particularly beneficial for smaller developers and researchers who often find high-performance computing platforms financially prohibitive. By utilizing blockchain technology, DePIN Compute ensures a fast, cost-effective, and scalable method for sharing computing resources, ultimately democratizing access to advanced technology. The significance of DePIN Compute is underscored by recent investments, notably VanEck's commitment of over $10 million to the project, reflecting strong confidence in its potential. VanEck's prior backing of Solana has already contributed to a positive market response, including the filing for the first SOL-based Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) in the United States. As AI continues to evolve, initiatives like DePIN Compute are set to revolutionize how computing power is accessed and utilized, fostering innovation and enabling a broader range of individuals and organizations to benefit from cutting-edge technology.

In a recent message, Acurast's Co-Founder Alessandro De Carli celebrated a year of significant progress for the project, emphasizing the importance of community involvement. He expressed gratitude to various contributors, including Cellhasher for their hardware R&D, Passive Crypto Mining for their educational content, and Kevin for his valuable feedback. De Carli highlighted the importance of a collaborative community in achieving Acurast's vision of transforming computing by leveraging billions of smartphones to create a decentralized, secure, and confidential computing platform for developers. The message also detailed Acurast's journey since the launch of the Acurast Lite, noting unprecedented growth in compute provision and activity on their incentivized testnet, which has become the most active chain in the Kusama ecosystem with over 120 million transactions. This success allowed the team to optimize the protocol significantly, achieving over 100x scalability. However, as more developers engaged with the protocol, it became clear that the pricing and reward system required a redesign to ensure long-term sustainability and community participation. Looking ahead, Acurast has set a target for the Token Generation Event (TGE) in April 2025, following extensive discussions on the benefits of delaying the event for better system design. Upcoming milestones include the public release of iOSTokenomics, the launch of a new reward and pricing system, and the introduction of staking and economic security. Acurast aims to redefine the future of computing, particularly in the context of AI, and invites the community to join in this transformative journey.

In the evolving landscape of the internet, concerns about data privacy are at an all-time high. A recent MAGNA/Ketch survey revealed that only 5% of individuals feel completely secure regarding how companies collect and utilize their personal information. As we transition into Web3, a new paradigm is emerging that empowers users to regain control over their data. By leveraging blockchain technology alongside Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs), Web3 not only enhances data security but also redefines the standards for privacy and transparency in data management. Decentralization is a key principle that enhances data privacy in Web3. Traditional methods of securing data often involve centralizing it in one location, which can create a single point of failure for malicious actors. In contrast, decentralized systems distribute data across multiple locations, making it significantly harder for attackers to exploit. Blockchain technology plays a crucial role in this transformation by providing a transparent and immutable record of transactions while ensuring that sensitive information remains protected off-chain. This dual approach fosters a more trustworthy environment for users, allowing them to verify data management practices without compromising their privacy. Web3 technologies also pave the way for innovative solutions that allow users to monetize their data while maintaining control over its usage. By utilizing smart contracts, individuals can establish clear rules regarding who can access their data and under what circumstances. This shift from being mere users to becoming data owners marks a significant change in the digital economy. With tools like iExec's Privacy Pass, users can earn tokens while keeping their personal information confidential. Ultimately, Web3 is not just about enhancing data privacy; it is about empowering individuals to reclaim ownership of their data and benefit from its value in a secure and transparent manner.

AI tokens are rapidly establishing their significance within the cryptocurrency market, yet comprehending their emissions strategies is essential for mitigating short-term risks. This article explores the tokenomics of several prominent AI projects and their forthcoming supply expansions, providing insights into how these changes may impact market dynamics. Bittensor's $TAO token is projected to experience a substantial 3.02% increase in circulating supply over the next month, translating to an additional $129.26 million in market value. This considerable emission could lead to heightened liquidity and potential selling pressure, prompting investors to closely monitor trading volumes and price fluctuations to gauge market appetite for the increased supply. In contrast, both $AKT from Akash Network and $AIOZ from AIOZ Network are set to expand their circulating supplies by more moderate percentages of 0.82% ($7.92 million) and 0.59% ($7.37 million), respectively. This measured approach aims to balance token dilution while maintaining a controlled release schedule, thereby minimizing market shocks. On the other hand, FetchAI's $FET and Render Network's $RENDER are adopting conservative supply expansion strategies, with $FET seeing a modest 0.30% increase ($14.15 million) and $RENDER planning a minimal 0.10% increase ($4.60 million). These strategies are crafted to safeguard token value by limiting supply-side inflation, particularly during volatile market conditions. Additionally, Virtual AI Agents distinguishes itself by maintaining a static token supply since its inception, with no planned emissions, thereby eliminating dilution risk entirely. This strategy, while stabilizing supply dynamics for token holders, may restrict growth incentives through future token releases. Understanding these diverse emissions strategies is vital for effectively navigating the AI token landscape and managing associated risks.