Arweave computing platform AO main network has been launched

PANews reported on February 9 that according to The block, decentralized storage project Arweave has officially launched the mainnet version of its computing platform AO after a year of test network stage. Native tokens previously minted and distributed to AR holders and testnet depositors will be transferable upon activation of the mainnet.

AO is called "hyperparallel computer" by developers, and it introduces a distributed computing environment with parallel processing capabilities. Arweave's permanent data storage supports AO's operations, ensuring that data is immutable and permanently accessible. According to core developers, AO will support a new wave of dapps, including on-chain autonomous agents focused on AI coordination.

The launch of the AO mainnet is accompanied by the final release of its native token, which is separate from Arweave’s AR token. The maximum supply cap of AO tokens is 21 million, echoing the Bitcoin model. The AO team said it adopted a fair issuance distribution model, distributing tokens to users who bridge assets to the platform and existing AR token holders.

According to the amount of holdings, 36% will be allocated to AR holders over time. The remaining 64% are reserved for economic growth incentives, especially for bridging assets into AO, including rewards for users who deposit assets such as DAI and stETH into the AO ecosystem. Prior to release, more than $700 million had been pre-bridged to the AO test network.

Arweave launched AO's public testnet in February 2024. By June, AO announced its native token AO, as well as token economics and reward mechanisms. The main function of AO tokens is to protect messaging within the network through system incentive proof.