Three major projects will help you understand the DePin track

Author: Paul Veradittakit; Compiler: Wu Baht, Golden Finance

Decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePin) is a combination of blockchain and infrastructure network. It has been used in energy, telecommunications, storage, artificial intelligence, data collection and other industries.

During the last crypto cycle, many projects capitalized on the DePin hype, identifying problems with huge market opportunities, but when the core product failed to gain traction on both the demand and supply side, they turned to crypto-token economics.

However, for those that survived, many took the time to build out their infrastructure to the point where many are creating sustainable revenue by solving existing problems, even independent of the token economics flywheel. Let's have them!

Geodnet (real-time kinematics)

core issues being addressed

Traditional GPS systems often lack the accuracy required for advanced applications that require centimeter-level accuracy rather than meter-level accuracy. Geodnet's solution improves positioning accuracy by 100 times compared to traditional GPS technology.

target customers

Geodnet serves industries that rely on high-precision geospatial data, including:

- Self-driving cars

- Agriculture

- Smart city

- Defense and security

- space exploration

Profit model

- Data Licensing: Sell geospatial data to commercial customers.

- Node participation fee: the fee associated with the installation and use of the miner.

- Partnerships: Working with industries such as autonomous systems to integrate Geodnet services into existing workflows.

In 2024, Geodnet reported revenue growth of more than 500% year-over-year to $1.7 million, with a year-end run rate of over $2.2 million.

Tokenomics

Geodnet uses its native GEOD token to incentivize participants:

- Miners earn tokens based on data contribution and network uptime.

- Destruction mechanism: Tokens are destroyed during data transactions, increasing deflationary pressure.

- Daily income: The average daily income per miner is approximately US$4.30, with an expected payback period of 3-4 months.

- Circulation: Tokens are distributed to ensure liquidity while incentivizing early adopters.

- Token utility: used for payment, staking and governance within the network.

Participate and contribute

1. Become a miner:

- Purchase mining equipment (price ranges from $500 to $700).

- Set up the miner and connect it to the network, uploading 20-40GB of data per month.

2. Use the Internet:

- Access RTK correction data via subscription or direct purchase.

3. Develop applications:

- Leverage Geodnet data to build software for specific industries.

4. Governance:

- Participate in protocol governance by staking GEOD tokens and voting on proposals.

Helium (wireless infrastructure)

core issues being addressed

Traditional mobile network operators such as T-Mobile require significant capital expenditures to build cell towers, maintain infrastructure and expand coverage. Helium solves this problem by creating a distributed wireless network that leverages community-owned hotspots to provide affordable, scalable, and resilient connectivity to mobile and IoT devices.

target customers

1. Consumer – Offers affordable mobile plans ($20 per month) with unlimited data through its decentralized network.

2. Telecommunications Providers – Provide WiFi offloading capabilities to major operators to reduce their infrastructure costs.

3. IoT device manufacturers – Provide connectivity for low-power IoT devices through the LoRaWAN protocol.

4. Enterprise – Helps organizations deploy private wireless networks for asset tracking, sensor and environmental monitoring.

revenue model

Helium generates revenue through two main channels:

1. Direct-to-consumer mobile plans:

- Unlimited plans available for $20 per month using Helium hotspots and partner networks such as T-Mobile.

2. Carrier WiFi offloading fee:

- Charge telecom providers $0.50/GB to offload data through Helium's decentralized hotspots instead of traditional cell towers.

financial performance

- Users: Over 100,000 direct mobile users and over 300,000 indirect WiFi offload users.

- Revenue: Generated seven-figure annualized on-chain revenue through mobile subscriptions and carrier offload fees.

- Forecast: As carrier partnerships expand, potential revenue from WiFi offloading alone is estimated to exceed $50 million per year.

Tokenomics

Helium’s HNT token is at the core of its incentive and payment structure:

1. Earn rewards:

- Hotspot operators earn HNT by providing coverage and transmitting data.

2. Practicality:

- Tokens are used for network transactions, data usage payments and governance proposals.

3. Destruction mechanism:

- HNT tokens are burned when used to pay for network services, reducing supply and creating deflationary pressure.

How to participate, contribute and access Helium

1. Hotspot deployment:

- Purchase and set up Helium-compatible hotspots to provide network coverage and earn HNT rewards.

- Choose from 16 approved hardware types designed for IoT or mobile offloading.

2. Consumer Plan:

- Enjoy affordable mobile data coverage by subscribing to Helium Mobile's $20/month plan.

3. Carrier Partnerships:

- Telecom providers can integrate with Helium to offload data traffic, thereby reducing operational costs.

4. Governance and staking:

- Stake HNT tokens to participate in network governance, propose upgrades, and vote on key changes.

Akash (calculation)

core issues being addressed

Akash solves the high cost, scalability limitations, and centralization issues of traditional cloud computing providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Akash solves this problem by providing a decentralized cloud computing marketplace that allows users to monetize idle machines at a low cost.

target customers

1. AI Developers – Require high-performance GPUs to train and deploy machine learning models.

2. Startups and Enterprises – Need affordable and scalable cloud computing to support data processing, storage, and AI-driven applications.

revenue model

Akash generates revenue through:

1. Market Fees – Transaction fees are charged for calculating leases and payments processed over the network.

2. Computing resource leasing – Earn part of the revenue generated by AI training and workloads from GPU and CPU leasing.

3. Developer Tools – Use its computing infrastructure to enable developers to monetize API integration and SDK licensing fees.

4. Enterprise partnerships – Collaborate with AI labs and decentralized platforms to expand computing capabilities.

financial performance

- Annual Revenue: Akash reported $2.5 million in 2024 calculated lease and fee revenue.

- Growth rate: Driven by AI adoption, demand for GPU computing resources has increased by 33 times.

- Network scale: supports more than 400 GPUs

Tokenomics

Akash uses the AKT token for payments, governance, and incentives.

1. Practicality:

- Payment – ​​Buyers pay for computing resources using AKT tokens.

- Staking – Providers stake tokens to secure work and improve reputation.

2. Incentive:

- Providers earn AKT tokens by providing computing resources.

- Tokens are distributed based on uptime, performance and job completion.

3. Governance:

- Token holders can propose upgrades and vote on protocol changes.

4. Destruction mechanism:

- Fees are burned, reducing the token supply and increasing deflationary pressure.

How to participate, contribute and access Akash

1. As a provider:

- Set up GPU, CPU or storage servers on the Akash network.

- List resources, set prices and start earning AKT tokens.

2. As a consumer:

- Rent computing resources using the Akash web interface or CLI.

- Deploy AI training workloads, web services, and decentralized applications.

3. As a developer:

- Access API and SDK to integrate Akash's services into applications.

- Utilize GPU clusters for deep learning training or inference tasks.

4. Governance participation:

- Stake AKT tokens to vote on network upgrades and resource pricing policies.

Outlook

The above is just a short list of some projects that are feasible and have sustainable income. The next few months will undoubtedly see DePin’s acceptance increase and result in more sustainable, scalable and profitable companies.

These companies are all consumer-facing, but the other aspect that excites me is infrastructure. The underlying blockchain, oracle services, smart contract services, middleware, integrations, token issuance services, etc. are areas of companies that will benefit greatly from increased use of DePin projects. Some examples include Solana, Peaq, Base, Story, Arweave, Opacity Network and DeForm.