For much of 2024, it felt like the three biggest trends in crypto were DePIN, DePIN, and DePIN. And one of the biggest players in DePIN is the Akash Network, which was co-founded by accomplished software developer and founder of AngelHack Greg Osuri.
Think of Akash as an open-source “super cloud” that lets people buy and sell compute, which is now a coveted resource in the age of AI. This is the core concept of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure, aka DePIN — using blockchain technology to organize resources (in this case, compute) that are otherwise fragmented. Akash is meant as a long-term alternative to Nvidia’s centralized chips, intended to make computing more affordable to individual users.
“Akash gives you the right to compute, freedom from censorship, liberty of free thought,” Osuri has said. “$AKT [Akash’s native token] is the currency of compute.” And people are using it. Akash reported that in the third quarter of 2024, year-over-year user fees surged by an eye-popping 1,729%.
This profile is part of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2024 package. For all of this year’s nominees, click here.