Alisa Davidson
Printed: February 25, 2026 at 8:30 am Up to date: February 25, 2026 at 7:54 am
Edited and fact-checked:
February 25, 2026 at 8:30 am
In Transient
Decentralized GPU networks like Aethir are rising as cost-effective, globally distributed alternate options to satisfy surging AI compute demand and assist enterprise-grade, blockchain-compatible infrastructure.
The worldwide AI compute panorama is experiencing unprecedented demand. In accordance with Bridgewater Associates, main US tech firms are projected to take a position about $650 billion in AI infrastructure in 2026. Market forecasts present the information middle GPU market increasing quick, with projections that the worldwide GPU phase — valued at over $125 billion in 2025 — may develop at a 20%+ CAGR by means of the last decade as AI fashions develop extra advanced and pervasive.
Inside this compute growth, decentralized bodily infrastructure networks (DePINs) — significantly in GPU compute — are rising as value‑efficient alternate options. Latest sector evaluation suggests DePIN initiatives can supply GPU hours at a fraction of centralized cloud pricing, whereas addressing regional latency and provide bottlenecks.
In an interview with MPost, Mark Rydon, co-founder of Aethir, shared the corporate’s journey to a number one supplier of enterprise-grade, decentralized GPU compute. He described how Aethir has constructed a globally distributed, low-latency community able to supporting the surging demand for AI coaching and inference, and unveiled insights on working a permissionless, enterprise-ready infrastructure.
Past Aethir’s personal evolution the knowledgeable offered an outlook on the broader DePIN and AI compute markets, highlighting the unprecedented progress in world GPU demand, the rising function of agentic AI, and the way blockchain-based fee rails may reshape autonomous compute adoption.
What’s Aethir’s origin story, and what drove the shift from cloud gaming to AI compute?
The unique focus of Aethir, the primary drawback we selected to deal with, was that there are billions of avid gamers worldwide, and the overwhelming majority play on cellular units. In Western markets, we consider console and PC gaming, however globally most avid gamers use low-end telephones, which means a lot of in the present day’s high-end gaming content material is inaccessible as a consequence of {hardware} limits. Cloud gaming pioneered by Google may offload all recreation processing to the cloud, letting any system run any recreation and enabling studios to achieve billions extra gamers.
We realized that if we may cut back the price of scaling this resolution to some extent the place it made sense for gaming firms to pay for the infrastructure, it might be a compelling mannequin. Our resolution was to decentralize entry to compute, aggregating GPUs offered by others. In observe, this meant constructing large GPU capability to assist each gaming and AI whereas making certain flawless, low-latency service, since avid gamers—and gaming firms—demand near-perfect efficiency.
We needed to construct an enterprise-focused GPU resolution that had by no means existed earlier than, making a community of enterprise-ready GPUs at a time when few others had executed so. Then ChatGPT was launched, AI firms rapidly hit GPU limits, and we began receiving emails asking, “You will have GPUs, proper? Can we pay you for them?” Only a few inquiries have been sufficient to make us discover the enterprise mannequin.
Lengthy story brief, we developed options for these firms, which resulted in enterprise compute contracts and led us to increase our product suite for the sort of buyer. Right now, the overwhelming majority of Aethir’s purchasers are massive AI firms utilizing our infrastructure for coaching and inference.
Why does decentralized GPU infrastructure matter for the following wave of AI, Web3?
There are a few the reason why decentralized infrastructure is essential. First, Aethir has a presence in over 93 international locations with almost 300 knowledge facilities housing our GPUs. This geographic distribution exceeds something even the hyperscalers have, which means builders in locations like South Korea, Vietnam, or Norway can entry native compute. Hyperscalers not solely cost two to 10 instances extra, however their infrastructure may be positioned removed from customers, lowering efficiency. There’s a transparent distribution benefit that decentralized infrastructure permits.
Second, with the rise of agentic infrastructure, brokers will transact totally on the blockchain and are prone to buy compute the identical means. Networks like Aethir are inherently aligned with these blockchain fee rails, giving us a possible benefit over hyperscalers by enabling direct compute possession for brokers, not simply firms.
When competing with Amazon Net Companies, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, the place will hyperscalers stay dominant?
There’ll all the time be benefits for market leaders and incumbents—they’re large firms with vital legacy belief. I don’t view Aethir as a decentralized competitor to hyperscalers; we’re a startup, a mid-market competitor. Nevertheless, we’re extra agile, adapt sooner, have higher unit economics, and supply friendlier phrases to startups.
What are the challenges to constructing a permissionless, enterprise-grade GPU community?
There are technical and financial challenges. The largest technical problem in a community like Aethir’s is constructing an enterprise-grade system on {hardware} you don’t personal. Enterprise clients anticipate strict SLAs—like 99.99% uptime, assured bandwidth, and different necessities—but when a {hardware} supplier exits the community, it may well trigger downtime and breach contracts. Managing that is extraordinarily difficult.
Decentralized networks typically mitigate this by means of staking: {hardware} suppliers pay a deposit when becoming a member of, which they forfeit in the event that they depart early. Working a community on {hardware} you don’t personal is each a serious benefit and one of many hardest points of the sort of ecosystem.
How can decentralized compute networks meet enterprise expectations round compliance, verification, and dependable service ranges?
Enterprise firms have very excessive expectations, and traditionally, crypto firms haven’t met them. Many crypto initiatives construct options for low-quality members—whether or not {hardware} or customers—which don’t translate to enterprise wants. You may’t take a product designed for crypto customers and present it to a financial institution or massive Web2 firm; they gained’t settle for the constraints.
From day one, we designed Aethir to be enterprise-ready, understanding precisely what these clients require. Because of this, working with us seems like working with a serious Web2 firm: the crypto factor is absolutely abstracted, and the main focus is on reliably assembly the essential enterprise necessities essential to be thought-about a reputable associate.
What early indicators present actual demand for decentralized GPU compute?
Inside Aethir, we monitor income intently, and we generate greater than all different DePIN initiatives mixed. In actual fact, we possible have the very best income of any crypto venture that doesn’t earn from gasoline or charges, making income a key metric of our progress. Past that, macro indicators of compute demand are clear—anybody following AI traits can see that demand for GPUs is barely rising.
How would you describe in the present day’s market and its major progress drivers?
The general market is in a downturn, however from a sector perspective— AI somewhat than crypto—there’s an insatiable urge for food for compute. Demand for infrastructure has by no means been increased and constantly outpaces provide. Simply when the market thinks it’s caught up, new developments—like higher video fashions or agentic AI—create contemporary compute wants. From that perspective, the AI compute market is a “rocket ship,” with new alternatives for inference rising each few weeks and more and more succesful fashions being launched month-to-month. The sector is pushed by relentless demand, creating an nearly “up-only” trajectory.
What single inflection level may speed up extra the enterprise adoption of DePIN compute?
I believe the market hasn’t absolutely realized it but, however an inflection level occurred a few month in the past with an open-source know-how referred to as OpenClaw. It’s an agent-based system the place you may plug in OpenAI or Anthropic API keys, creating impartial brokers that may work together with the world—handle information, ship emails, principally act like a digital assistant.
The problem is hidden in funds: you may’t give these brokers financial institution accounts or bank cards, and current fee programs typically block bot exercise. That’s the place blockchain and crypto rails change into essential—they’re programmatic and straightforward for brokers to make use of. This creates a “hockey stick” second for agentic use instances, letting brokers handle subscriptions, prices, and even pay for themselves. Because of this, suppliers like Aethir, which assist crypto-native funds, are uniquely positioned to learn from this surge in autonomous agent demand.
How do you see Aethir’s function evolving inside the DePIN ecosystem over the following few years?
Aethir not too long ago launched a NASDAQ-listed entity referred to as Axes Compute (ticker: GPU), representing Aethir’s pursuits and working on our infrastructure. It capabilities as a digital asset treasury for Aethir. We see our public market presence as crucial to progress: we’re now not only a crypto firm, however a publicly listed entity. This subsequent section positions us with one foot within the DePIN ecosystem and one in broader capital markets, permitting us to leverage public market scale whereas creating outsized worth within the decentralized and crypto house.
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About The Creator
Alisa, a devoted journalist on the MPost, makes a speciality of cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a eager eye for rising traits and applied sciences, she delivers complete protection to tell and have interaction readers within the ever-evolving panorama of digital finance.
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Alisa, a devoted journalist on the MPost, makes a speciality of cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a eager eye for rising traits and applied sciences, she delivers complete protection to tell and have interaction readers within the ever-evolving panorama of digital finance.
Extra articles
