What’s New in DePin? OpenLedger and io.net AI Research, Harvard Teaches Helium, Peaq Ecosystem Report

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePin) are transforming the tech by enabling decentralized projects in real-world infrastructure.

Here’s what happened in the DePin sector recently: OpenLedger partners with io.net for AI development, Harvard Business School approved a case on Helium, and Peaq released an Ecosystem Report for November activities.

OpenLedger Partners with Io.net

Io.net, a DePIN GPU compute network, partnered with OpenLedger this week. OpenLedger is a data blockchain for AI, and it will use Io.net’s GPU resources to refine and train its AI models. These resources will also run support and hosting services for OpenLedger’s AI models, helping ensure their performance and scalability.

“With io.net providing the GPU compute, OpenLedger now has an infra provider it can rely on to scale its AI models built on top of them and to unlock new use cases that will reinforce its status as an innovative provider of decentralized AI models,” claimed Tausif Ahmad, the Vice President of Business Development at io.net.

This is not io.net’s only recent exploration into AI development. In late November, the firm provided similar services to Zero1 Labs, another AI research firm.

It conducted a similar partnership with GAIB earlier that month and one with TARSS Protocol in September. Io.net is not itself an AI firm, but this string of partnerships clearly suggests a strong interest in the space.

Harvard Business Approves Helium Case

Helium, a Solana-based decentralized infrastructure company, announced on November 26 via social media that Harvard Business School accepted a case on Helium. Jorge Tamayo and Mahesh Ramakrishnan will teach this case titled “Helium: Crowdsourcing a National Telecom Network.” Since the announcement, the firm’s HNT token has risen steadily.

HNT is currently up roughly 150% this year, as Helium has enjoyed a successful few months. This stamp of approval from Harvard Business School marks a new milestone of institutional acceptance for the DePin industry.

Peaq Performance: November Report

Peaq, the Layer-1 blockchain ecosystem for DePins, published its November Ecosystem Report via social media. This report included several recent highlights for the company: a mainnet launch in mid-November, $1 billion in staked tokens, USDC integration, and more.

Peaq was rather vague on its expected progress for December. The firm teased that new DePin projects would join its “Peaqosystem” alongside other unspecified integrations and product launches. Still, it has integrated 13 DePins in the last four months, so Peaq might be on track to continue expanding.