The Evolution of DePIN Track: From Infrastructure to AI Integration

DePIN( decentralized physical infrastructure networks ) were once all the rage, giving rise to many star projects. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the market focus has shifted to the AI field. So, what is the current state of development in the DePIN sector?

In fact, the DePIN track is not stagnant but is seeking new development directions, one of which is the latest trend of integrating with AI technology. In this trend, the Roam project can be considered a representative case. By analyzing Roam, we can gain insights into the changes occurring in the DePIN track.

The Essence of DePIN

DePIN is an abbreviation for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network. In short, it is a decentralized hardware network that encourages users to share personal resources through a token incentive mechanism to build an infrastructure network that includes storage space, communication bandwidth, cloud computing, energy, and more.

The core of DePIN lies in resource integration: using tokens to incentivize users to share resources, achieving efficient flow of resources to the demand side. It is mainly divided into three categories: storage type ( such as Filecoin), computing power type ( such as Render Network), and network type ( such as Helium).

DePIN shares similarities with Bitcoin, as both require an initial investment in physical equipment followed by ongoing mining. Due to its connection with the physical world, DePIN is not a closed system, bringing positive externalities to the entire industry.

Current Status of the DePIN Market

According to the data, DePIN has nearly 4.56 million devices in about 196 countries and regions worldwide, with a market value of 7.1 billion USD. Among them, Roam has the largest number of devices, reaching 1.18 million.

From a geographical distribution perspective, DePIN devices are mainly concentrated in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Among them, Southeast Asia has a very high concentration, especially in South Korea. This reflects that the Southeast Asian region is fully utilizing its advantages in manufacturing and human resources, making every effort to invest in the DePIN track.

Roam: DePIN New Leader

Roam is a network-type DePIN project that can be seen as a combination of Web3 and WiFi, representing a decentralized wireless network. Roam offers a variety of products, including WiFi hardware and eSIM cards. Users can purchase dedicated hardware for mining or apply for an eSIM card to earn free data by completing tasks.

In Roam's technical architecture, the Roam telecom data layer is the core concept, which is implemented through four main ecological modules: Roam Network, Roam Growth, Roam Discovery, and Roam Community.

Roam's future plans mainly include two directions: accelerating the implementation of the Roam telecommunication data layer and deep integration with AI technology.

The Integration of Roam and AI

Roam is leveraging its advantage in communication data to provide high-quality usable data for AI projects. Among the three key elements of AI development ( computing power, algorithms, and data ), data is currently the critical bottleneck, especially communication data.

Roam provides operator services through Web3 and uses the data generated as a data source for AI companies while protecting privacy. Roam employs decentralized identity (DID), verifiable credentials (VC), and zero-knowledge proof (ZK) technologies to safeguard user privacy.

The Roam Discovery Program is actively expanding its service boundaries by collaborating with multiple DePIN ecosystem partners to build a rich and diverse AI training dataset ecosystem. Roam not only provides basic operator-level data but also integrates multidimensional data resources including weather monitoring, CDN services, renewable energy usage, decentralized authentication, innovative payment, and lending behaviors.

This diversified data integration capability provides unprecedented data dimensions and depth for AI model training, promoting the development of AI+DePIN in building decentralized infrastructure in the AI era.

How Ordinary Users Can Participate

The rapid development of Roam is primarily attributed to two strategies: free offerings and airdrops.

As a decentralized telecom operator, Roam provides users with free data, which can be obtained by completing tasks. At the same time, users can accelerate mining by purchasing dedicated hardware, or they can earn points by sharing WiFi to participate in future airdrops. This low-threshold participation method greatly enhances the project's appeal.

Free and airdrop are two powerful tools for Web3 projects, attracting users through direct incentive rewards and maximizing the subsidy strategies of the Web2 industry. This also provides ordinary users with the opportunity to participate by sharing WiFi or completing tasks to earn potential rewards.