Latest DePIN News

Crypto analysts are predicting a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePin) supercycle, driven by Web3 and AI advancements, reminiscent of the early Internet era. DePin aims to decentralize applications currently dominated by tech giants like AWS and Google Cloud. The AI sector is particularly active, with growing demand for GPUs as AI models become more complex. Projects like io.net and Aethir are expected to secure significant market shares early on. DeFi analyst Cyril points to altcoins like Helium's MOBILE, OriginTrail's TRAC, and Nosana's NOS as having potential in the DePin ecosystem. Other noteworthy tokens include Theta Network's THETA for decentralized video streaming and The Graph's GRT for organizing blockchain data for efficient Web3 applications. Render (RNDR) and Filecoin (FIL) are also contributing to the DePin infrastructure, showcasing the growing integration of blockchain in real-world applications.

While ApeCoin and Helium are gaining attention in the cryptocurrency market, BlockDAG has emerged as a strong competitor with its groundbreaking Keynote 2 presentation. The presentation has significantly increased BlockDAG's pre-sale earnings to $54.5 million and is expected to yield up to a 30,000x ROI, showcasing its significant growth potential. Helium's value has surged by 50% in a day, following its nationwide mobile service expansion in partnership with T-Mobile. The introduction of a $20 unlimited data, talk, and text plan leverages Helium's decentralized IoT network to enhance service utility and connectivity. ApeCoin's forecast indicates a gradual increase, with prices predicted to range from $2.24 to $2.65 in 2025 and reaching between $13.13 and $15.69 by 2030, driven by ongoing market evolution and technological advances. BlockDAG's Keynote 2 has unveiled significant advancements in blockchain technology, emphasizing its dedication to innovation. The company plans to release a documentary and a DOXing video to engage with the community and reveal the faces behind its technology, fostering trust within the cryptocurrency community. BlockDAG's roadmap promises substantial advancements, including the development of new blockchain explorer tools and enhancements to smart contract functionalities and asset management. These improvements aim to provide a more user-friendly and comprehensive blockchain experience, optimizing operations and setting new industry benchmarks. With the successful sale of Batch 19 coins at $0.014 each, representing a 1300% increase from their initial pricing, BlockDAG's growth trajectory is set to soar, making it the most bullish contender for 2024 in the crypto market.

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.

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.