TechFlow news, according to Cointelegraph, blockchain analytics platform Nansen and lending protocol MetaStreet jointly released a report on October 14 stating that artificial intelligence (AI) and the emerging "NodeFi" market could become the most active verticals in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space. The report emphasizes that the cryptocurrency market is "moving beyond its initial focus on ERC-20 tokens and DeFi," with these dominant technologies eventually stabilizing. As the generative AI industry matures, emerging blockchain verticals such as distributed computing and GPU-as-a-Service are expected to experience explosive growth.
According to the report, decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) projects show the greatest growth potential. DePIN projects span multiple areas including decentralized energy distribution and decentralized data storage, and can also be applied to distributed computing and GPU-as-a-Service programs. Citing research from Fortune Business Insights, the report notes that the overall market value of distributed graphics processing units (GPU) or GPU-as-a-Service reached $3.2 billion in 2023.
The report suggests that AI-related compute DePIN appears well-positioned to become the next major vertical, featuring a substantial and rapidly growing market, high yield potential, predictable asset pricing, and relatively low implementation complexity. Additionally, the report indicates that the NodeFi vertical—a incentivized marketplace for node operators—may also take off, though its feasibility depends on specific projects.
