My attention was drawn to Topic from Flux | A decentralized cloud.
You would't enjoy spaces like this if you don't understand the topic.
Terms like DePIN, DePAI and Decentralized Compute will make you go crazy that you wouldn't understand a damn thing as a newbie.
Firstly, what is a decentralized cloud?
Divide it into two words, Decentralized + Cloud.
Decentralization = freedom from central authority control over your assets or data.
Cloud = A place to store your files or data online
So when you have a decentralized cloud storage, it means no one is in control of your files or data except you.
This gives you full ownership to what you possess.
Flux | Decentralized cloud often speaks about DePIN and DePAI.
We are going to break down these terms, here is a place for web 3 education, get your seat and feel comfortable.
DePIN is an Abbreviation.
DePIN = Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network
DePAI = Decentralized Physical AI
For DePIN, Think of a Physical Infrastructure; What is an Infrastructure?
These are basic physical needs of man to survive in a society or the world at large. E.g. (Roads, Water, Electricity, Homes etc).
There for, PIN is the Network of all Physical Infrastructure.
Adding Decentralization to it, this means a blockchain-based system that uses cryptocurrency incentives to coordinate the buildout and operation of physical and digital infrastructure by individual contributors, rather than a central authority.
Outside Decentralization, we have cloud storage like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox.
These are centralized cloud storage.
When you save a file, it is uploaded to and housed on that company's servers. To access your files, you connect directly to that provider's servers.
This central control makes these services easier for consumers to use and gives providers great control over the infrastructure.
However, it also creates a single point of failure and makes the provider's central servers a prime target for cyberattacks.
HOW DePINs WORK
Infrastructure Deployment: Individuals or companies deploy physical or digital components, such as wireless hotspots or storage devices.
Decentralized Control: Individuals contribute physical resources (like computing power, storage space, or wireless connectivity) instead of relying on a central authority.
Network Utilization: As more people use the DePIN network, its overall utility and value increase.
Economic Incentives: Participants earn crypto tokens for contributing their resources, which encourages more people to join and expand the network.
Blockchain Coordination: A blockchain acts as a transparent and verifiable record-keeper, tracking contributions and automatically rewarding participants through smart contracts.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF DePINs SIMILAR TO FLUX
Wireless Connectivity: Helium Mobile Hotspot uses individuals to set up hotspots to provide decentralized wireless internet.
Data Storage: Filecoin rewards users for contributing storage space on their hard drives to a decentralized cloud.
GPU Rendering: The Render Network uses decentralized computing power for 3D rendering tasks.
Geospatial Data: Hivemapper incentivizes individuals to contribute mapping data to create a decentralized map.
BENEFITS OF DePINs
Cost-Efficient: Leverages underutilized hardware and resources, reducing infrastructure costs.
Scalable: Can expand capacity by adding more contributors and resources as needed.
Resilient: Distributes infrastructure across many nodes, eliminating single points of failure.
Accessible: Allows individuals to participate and earn rewards by contributing resources.
HOW DePAI WORKS
DePAI refers to AI systems that operate using decentralized networks and physical robots, rather than relying on a centralized corporate entity.
The Layers That Make It Work
DePAI isn’t just about slapping AI onto a robot. There’s a whole stack that makes it possible:
- Hardware: the physical machines (robots, sensors, drones).
- Agentic AI: smart systems inside those machines, making real-world decisions.
- Data: pulled from decentralized sources like DePINs to train and guide the AI.
- Spatial intelligence: a digital layer of the physical world, helping robots move and understand their surroundings.
- Infrastructure networks: providing power, storage, and compute through decentralized services.
- The Machine Economy: a blockchain-based system where all these machines interact, trade, and follow rules set by people.
- DAOs: community-run groups that own and manage fleets of robots or infrastructure.
Still Worried about Decentralized Compute?
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS
Distributed Network: Instead of one large server, computing tasks are spread across many smaller devices or nodes.
Blockchain Technology: Many decentralized systems use blockchain to ensure transparency, security, and proper management of resource allocation and payments within the network.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P): Participants can directly connect and share their computing power and storage with other users in the network without needing an intermediary.
Heterogeneous Hardware: The network draws from a wide variety of sources, including personal computers, community-run centers, and professional data centers, creating a diverse and resilient infrastructure.
With this terms well defined, you can vibe and understand anything that would be said about DePIN, DePAI and DeCompute.
Thanks for your feedback