How DePIN is poised to disrupt the cloud computing industry: Report

For the past few years, cloud computing has been a growing sector. Its market capitalization is projected to quadruple to $2.3 billion by 2032. However, as the market is dominated by few participants, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, companies and retail users worldwide would be badly affected by a systemic failure of one of these players. Meta’s outage in March 2024 affected at least 600,000 people worldwide.

DePINs (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure) and DeRENs (Decentralized Resource Networks) have the potential to not only minimize the risks of such incidents but also enhance the security and transparency of data processing while decreasing operational and administrative costs. Cointelegraph Research and SwanChain published a report which assesses critical issues of the cloud computing market and how DePINs and DeRENs can democratize and enhance it.  

The growth of DePINs and DeRENs is stimulated by the rise of computationally intensive AI models, whose market is expected to reach approximately $1.4 trillion by 2029. DePINs and DeRENs can lower the entry barrier for AI developers through cheaper access to computing power. For example, Flux offers the same cloud computing services as Google Cloud at a fraction of the latter’s cost ($5 vs $300). The reasons behind such a significant cost reduction are described in detail in the report.

The role of SwanChain in DePIN space

Swan Chain offers a decentralized cloud computing platform that provides resources such as computational power, storage, and bandwidth. These can be used for AI applications, smart contracts, and other decentralized services. At its heart, the platform is an AI computing and storage bidding market where users can post requests for resources that are matched with providers. 

For example, if a user has to render a complex 3D animation without having the required hardware, they can post a request on Swan Chain’s platform. Providers with the necessary computational power can bid to take on this task. This reduces the time and cost compared to traditional cloud services. According to information provided by SwanChain’s team, running a Chat GPT-like model on Swan Chain’s infrastructure network could be 40-50% cheaper in comparison to big market players such as AWS. 

To gain a full overview of Swan Chain’s product, along with other key developments in the DePIN ecosystem, read the full report here. 

AI and ZK Computing

Swan Chain’s ecosystem is based on a decentralized network of hardware providers that execute computing tasks on behalf of users. This computing layer accepts payments in various tokens across blockchains. Products based on zero-knowledge (ZK) computing technology are among the services on offer. The platform has processed almost 350,000 ZK computing tasks within two months of launch, showcasing its capacity to provide computing resources for ZK applications at scale.

Our report also gives an overview of the rapid expansion of the DePIN sector and provides a comparison of notable DePIN projects such as Filecoin, Render Token, etc. These function as case studies of how decentralized networks can enhance AI applications. 

The Cointelegraph Research team

Cointelegraph’s Research department comprises some of the best talents in the blockchain industry. Bringing together academic rigor and filtered through practical, hard-won experience, the researchers on the team are committed to bringing the most accurate, insightful content available on the market. 

The research team features subject matter experts from the fields of finance, economics and technology to bring the premier source for industry reports and insightful analysis to the market. The team utilizes APIs from a variety of sources in order to provide accurate, useful information and analyses.