Aethir Exclusive Review: How It Powers the DePIN Computing

Aethir is a DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) computing network built on GPU computing power. The network allows users with idle computing resources to join as contributors, earning income by providing computational power.

Through an on-chain system, computing resources are efficiently allocated to ensure low latency, high quality, and sustained matching with demand.

In terms of scale, Aethir is one of the largest distributed GPU computing ecosystems, currently supported by over 4,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, with 82% actively providing commercial services. The network is expected to add another 2,000-3,000 H100 GPUs.

These computing resources are being integrated into the network in a decentralized manner by enterprise users, Aethir partners, and individual users, providing top-quality GPU resources globally. As a result, Aethir has become one of the few distributed computing networks capable of efficiently meeting the demands of the most rigorous AI clients.

Based on this foundation, Aethir is launching a Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering aimed at AI enterprises, enabling them to deploy machine learning models directly to users. This service allows AI users to seamlessly select and quickly deploy open-source models.

Aethir MaaS helps customers achieve efficient and intelligent data analysis and decision-making while lowering the barriers to model deployment.

As a Web3-oriented distributed ecosystem, Aethir’s supply system is driven by an economic model centered around the ATH token. This economic system is crucial not only for scaling computational resources but also for ensuring the efficient allocation of these resources.

Aethir’s ATH Token-Centered Economic System

Aethir’s economic system revolves around the ATH token, which serves as both an incentive asset for various roles within the Aethir ecosystem and as a consumption asset for computational resources.

Additionally, it acts as a guarantee to ensure service efficiency and prevent malicious behavior, balancing stakeholder interests in both the short and long term to promote network growth.

In the Aethir ecosystem, all roles are linked to the ATH token, and as the ecosystem’s business applications and demand for computational resources expand, the ATH token tends to become deflationary.

The defined applications for the ATH token include:

• Convenient Payments: $ATH is used to pay for various services on the Aethir network, such as renting GPU resources for AI applications, cloud gaming, and other computational tasks.
• Governance: $ATH holders have the right to participate in the governance of the Aethir network by voting on proposals and decisions that affect the platform’s future.
• Staking: Users can stake their ATH tokens to support the security and operation of the network. In return, they receive additional ATH tokens as rewards.
• Security and Quality Assurance: $ATH is used to incentivize network participants to maintain the security and quality of the services they provide.

Let’s break down the Aethir ecosystem further from the production and demand sides.

1. Production Side

Aethir is built on the Arbitrum chain and does not participate in the security or consensus maintenance of the underlying blockchain. Therefore, its incentive system focuses on GPU contributors who provide computational power to the network, including Aethir Edge device users.

To ensure high-quality supply and allocation of computational power, Aethir introduces three key roles:

• Container: This role is responsible for executing and rendering applications within the network, essentially serving as the virtual cloud computing locations that drive computational power within the network. Effective work by Containers earns revenue from the network.
• Indexer: This role allocates resources within the network, adjusting computational power based on Container status, service deployment, resource demand, latency, and service fees to ensure optimal network performance.
• Checker: This supervisory role monitors and checks the services provided by Containers, assessing processing power, response times, and network latency. The feedback provided by Checkers helps Indexers adjust resource allocation, and Checkers earn tokens as compensation for their work.

Additionally, staking users who help maintain network security are also part of the token production side.

2. Demand Side

Within the system, almost every role has a demand for ATH tokens.

Core System Roles:

Containers and Indexers are crucial for resource allocation and rendering in the Aethir network. To prevent malicious activity and ensure work quality, these roles typically need to stake a certain amount of ATH tokens, which are monitored by Checkers. Penalties are imposed when necessary.

Staking:

Staking users are vital to network security. By participating in staking, they help secure the network. Currently, around 337 million ATH tokens are staked, representing about 9% of the circulating supply (3.37 billion tokens). The staking enthusiasm for ATH tokens is growing, with the staking rate continually increasing.

It’s worth noting that Aethir recently launched a $50 million community reward program, with $20 million worth of ATH tokens allocated to Checker License (node operator) holders. The plan has been announced.

Incentive field link: https://massdrop.multisender.app/airdrop/rqng6ja15g

The remaining $30 million worth of ATH tokens will be distributed over 24 weeks to the ATH-AI staking pool (excluding the Gaming pool). This new token injection will enhance rewards for users staking in the AI pool, further incentivizing participation and support for AI-driven applications on the Aethir network.

The ATH-AI pool, with newly allocated rewards, can offer returns up to 15 times higher than the base rewards, with long-term staking yielding an APR between 400% and 600%, depending on the amount staked.

To be eligible for participation, stakers must stake ATH tokens at https://stake.aethir.com. Staking rewards are distributed every Thursday to stakers who started staking at least a week prior. Currently, the ATH-AI staking pool offers an APR above 300%, with more than 700 million ATH tokens staked.

In addition to staking on Aethir’s own platform (https://stake.aethir.com/dashboard), Aethir recently announced its launch on Sophon’s ZK chain, introducing stATH—a liquid staking version of ATH. Users can stake on Sophon’s platform and receive additional stATH rewards on top of Aethir’s native staking rewards.

From the perspective of ATH token stakers, participating in the ATH staking pool offers multiple and substantial returns.

Computational Power Demanders:

ATH tokens are essential for acquiring computational resources and rendering services, making them a necessary asset for any user with computational needs. Specifically, ATH serves as the standard medium of exchange within Aethir, compensating those who provide computing power, particularly in AI applications, cloud computing, virtualization, and cloud gaming.

Aethir has significant advantages in providing computing power. As the largest H100 GPU computing cluster, Aethir is one of the few GPU cloud computing ecosystems capable of supporting AI training, meeting the demands of high-end AI applications and cloud computing, especially after the launch of its MaaS system. The Aethir ecosystem is expected to experience rapid market expansion.

In the cloud gaming sector, Aethir’s network benefits from its multi-role architecture (Container, Indexer, Checker) and large-scale computing clusters, offering low costs and flexible scalability to meet real-time, high-burst, and sustained computing demands.

This makes Aethir capable of delivering efficient, low-latency GPU power and high-quality rendering services to game developers and players globally, potentially bringing AAA games to low-end hardware in developing regions without delay.

Aethir supports both retail and wholesale models for computing resource supply, accommodating users with large, sustained computing needs as well as those with temporary demands, such as small rendering studios. This broadens the base of potential demanders entering the ecosystem.

From AI applications, cloud computing, virtualization, and cloud gaming, these sectors have a substantial market gap for computing power. Aethir’s unique advantages are driving rapid business expansion in these fields, providing long-term services to potential demanders.

Aethir has already established deep partnerships with major cloud gaming companies, game developers, and well-known international telecom companies. According to Aethir’s latest report, the platform generated $36 million in revenue last year and estimates a long-term potential market size of over $30 billion.

Aethir’s network advantages are laying the foundation for widespread market expansion, which will further be reflected in ATH token demand, continuously building value for the token.

Beyond the core demanders, community stakeholders with a vested interest in maintaining the community are likely to use ATH tokens for governance, further accelerating the market demand for ATH tokens.

From a supply-demand perspective, the production side of Aethir’s network is often linked to the demand side. For example, when roles like Container, Indexer, or GPU contributors are incentivized, it indicates that demanders are receiving services.

Staking users, motivated by ongoing incentives and the potential appreciation of ATH tokens, are likely to increase their staking activities. The continuous production of ATH tokens within the network may signify overall growth in network value.

The Value Growth Flywheel of the Aethir Ecosystem

The ATH token-centered economic system is driving Aethir’s ecosystem toward a positive value growth flywheel.

Currently, the Aethir ecosystem is experiencing rapid expansion in both market and business aspects, attracting an increasing number of GPU contributors, DePIN nodes, and roles like Container, Indexer, and Checker.

In addition to the ongoing expansion of the GPU cluster, the number of contributors is also scaling up, with the Checker role surpassing 74,000 participants. This growth is enhancing the scale of the GPU cluster and service quality within the Aethir ecosystem, driving more demanders of computational power to join the Aethir network.

From a token perspective, the expansion of the Aethir network’s market size and demand side will continuously accelerate the demand for ATH tokens, reducing their potential market circulation and driving the token’s value up, establishing a more solid value foundation.

As the value of ATH tokens increases, investors, Aethir users, and various stakeholders within the network will increase their interest in the token, leading to more staking. At the same time, GPU contributors, DePIN node operators, and other roles will become more incentivized, further expanding the market and supply of ATH tokens.

This process creates a feedback loop within Aethir’s ecosystem, continuously driving the network toward a virtuous cycle of value growth.

It’s worth noting that Aethir has a global community user base, with more than 80,000 users already staking their ATH tokens in the network.

In the long term, this positive value flywheel will solidify Aethir’s ecosystem as the go-to platform for decentralized computational power, driving the adoption of ATH tokens, expanding its user base, and increasing the token’s value, ensuring a sustainable and growing ecosystem that aligns the interests of all participants.

Conclusion

The rapid expansion of the Aethir ecosystem, driven by the ATH token-centered economic system, demonstrates how the network is poised to become a leading platform for decentralized GPU computing.

The growing demand for computational power, coupled with the network’s ability to meet these demands through its distributed infrastructure, ensures that the ATH token will continue to play a central role in the ecosystem’s value growth.

As Aethir continues to scale and attract more contributors and demanders, the ATH token’s value is likely to increase, benefiting all stakeholders involved.