Learn more about DEPIN: An interview with Solana Foundation Head of DePIN

Author: Coinspire

In Web3, DEPIN is quickly becoming one of the most popular tracks. What exactly is it? What does it have to do with ordinary people? What is the potential for future development? The following is compiled from an interview with Amira Valliani, head of the Solana Foundation DEPIN, The Defiant Podcast. If you want to know if DEPIN is an opportunity you should pay attention to and how to implement it, this article should not be missed.

**Q: Can you briefly introduce yourself and how you entered crypto and

joined the Solana Foundation?**

Amira Valliani (hereinafter referred to as A): I first started paying attention to crypto in 2017. However, at that time, I was mainly interested in the news platform jointly built by the community, especially local news. I have been wondering: Can blockchain be used to build community infrastructure, such as soft services such as news writing, which are both profitable to share?

Later, I switched to start a business and developed a podcast paid platform. Although it has nothing to do with crypto, it made me deeply understand how difficult it is for content creators to charge small subscription fees. And I have never forgotten the concept of "community co-construction". After the company was sold in 2021, I began to seriously consider returning to the crypto world.

I was in politics in Washington before, and I also stayed at the Palace and the State Department. I felt that this was an opportunity to integrate multiple points of my interests. After joining the Solana Foundation, I was responsible for policy matters at first, and later gradually involved in strategic projects and joined the Helium Foundation Board of Directors, which naturally took charge of the foundation's DEPIN-related work.

Q: You just mentioned policy matters, and the Solana Foundation is also

quite active in policy formulation. Can you tell me more about what you did in Washington?

A: Our key task is actually "education". After all, policy makers generally do not understand blockchain. We need to help them understand the impact of this technology on the real world, especially how to help them choose.

For example, in the early days we invited Helium developers to Congress to introduce how to build a community-shared wireless network through blockchain. Many MPs had misunderstandings about crypto, but when they saw the project landing and heard "there are people in your constituency to use the Helium network", they really began to face up to this technology.

Q: Your core job now is DEPIN. Can you explain in a simple way what DEPIN

is and why it is so important?

A: The full name of DEPIN is "Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks". To put it bluntly, it uses Web3 incentives to turn everyone's "fragmented resources" into service technology that can be uniformly packaged and used by others.

For example, each of us uses navigation apps every day, but the update of map data is actually very slow and costly. There is a project called HiveMapper, which is a decentralized map project. You just need to install a dashcam and automatically collect map data along the way when you go to and from get off work every day, and the system will reward you with tokens. These real map data are updated faster than Google, with less coverage, and less cost.

For example, in the Helium project, you can use your extra WiFi bandwidth to deploy hotspots and contribute to the Helium network. Others can connect to the Internet through it, and you can earn tokens. Some large communications companies such as AT&T and T-Mobile also work with them to use the Helium network to cover areas that are not easy for them to enter.

Essentially, DEPIN solves a problem of "large-scale collaboration". In the past, only giant companies could spend $100 million to build such infrastructure. Now, Web3 makes it feasible to engage everyone.

Q: Are all physical resources suitable for DEPIN? Why haven’t some

traditional supply chain tracking technologies been implemented?

A: A good question. ⾸I don’t think supply chain tracking is DEPIN first. The key to DEPIN is whether there is a market on both supply and demand: on one side are people who can collect data, such as having idle bandwidth, equipment or location resources; on the other side are companies that need this data.

If you just put the status of an item on the chain, it is more like a traceable tool for B2B and does not count as a DEPIN. DEPIN prefers to integrate distributed resources and turn data into services that can be widely traded. Therefore, information such as map data, WiFi bandwidth, and edge computing power that can be frequently required and dynamically updated are particularly suitable for use as DEPIN.

Q: DEPIN and AI have a strong relationship. Can you talk in detail about

how to combine the two?

A: I think AI is one of the core driving forces that I am most optimistic about DEPIN. Now most of us are exposed to AI, but we just open ChatGPT or Perplexity to chat, and the application level of AI is still on the computer. I think AI will become reality in the next year and become a part of our lives. For example: autonomous driving, delivery robots, sweeping robots, etc.

So what do these "land-made" AIs need? The answer is - real-world data. For example, when driving autonomously, you should know if there are any pits ahead, whether the road signs have been replaced, or whether the street construction has been carried out. This kind of data is not enough to just rely on Google to drive a vehicle every year.

At this time, DEPIN can work. Let’s take the example of HiveMapper, which is a decentralized map project. Users only need to install a track recorder, which can collect data when opening the game daily and exchange token rewards. These data updates far faster than Google, and can also cover remote areas - for AI, it is a data paradise.

There is another example called Matrix Rover. They run on the street with a high-precision camera and take pictures of extremely clear images to train autonomous driving systems. These data are more detailed than traditional "street scenes" and are very valuable to AI.

Q: So are these data necessary for large companies? Can the data

collected by DEPIN serve decentralized AI?

A: It is true that most AI is now controlled by large companies, such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta. But in the past two years, decentralized AI projects have begun to emerge in the crypto field, with the goal of building an AI network that is monopolized by the majority. In this way, the real-world data provided by DEPIN is particularly important.

To add one more thing, not only data, but also requires huge amount of GPU computing power to train AI. However, GPUs are too expensive and ordinary teams cannot afford them. At the same time, there are countless idle GPUs distributed in personal computers, workstations, and laboratories around the world... If these GPUs can be connected through the DEPIN network, it is a flat version of AI supercomputer cluster. Many projects do this, such as io.net, Akash, Render, etc., and are building decentralized GPU networks so that small teams can also train AI. The concept behind this is to liberate the two core elements of AI data and computing power from the centralized monopoly.

Q: Will it be difficult to advance these things in reality? For example,

if the current high interest rates, difficult financing and complex policies are hindering the development of DEPIN?

A: What you mentioned is exactly why now is a good time for DEPIN. Traditional infrastructure, such as building a communication tower, may cost millions of dollars, and also requires procedures, investment, and approval. But financing is expensive now and many projects cannot be promoted at all.

At this time, the special thing about DEPIN is that it does not rely on single large institutions to invest, but breaks the project into small pieces, allowing countless individual users to participate in the construction, such as deploying a hotspot and installing a sensor. As long as you take out a hundred yuan, the system will reward you with tokens, and you will become a network builder.

So DEPIN is essentially a matter of breaking up high thresholds into something that everyone can participate in. This is a good solution for the current macro environment with high interest rates and high costs.

Q: You said that DEPIN will be a "trillion dollar" industry in the

future. How can we achieve that explosive growth?

A: The current DEPIN may only be only US$100 million, but it is developing very fast. I think the future outbreak will come from three directions:

Tools mature: In the past, if you wanted to do a DEPIN project, you had to build a system from scratch and deploy even the chain. Now Solana and other service providers, chart platforms, and data query tools are ready for use, and the development threshold is greatly reduced.

AI drives data demand: the rapid development of AI makes real-world data extremely important, and DEPIN is the best data acquisition network. As long as the AI ​​develops, the more DEPIN will be.

More and more entrepreneurs who are "aware of things" are entering the market: many of the founders of DEPIN now have people who have done hardware, infrastructure, and truly understand the industry. They are not the kind of people who "make money first and then find a solution", but they really use crypto to solve the problem. They first see the pain points and then choose to solve the problem in Web3. So I said that the key to the outbreak of DEPIN is that a large number of "practical" founders entered Web3. They know how to get things done, and that's the core.

Q: Is it possible for ordinary people like me to earn living expenses by

participating in DEPIN projects?

A: Of course. I have had a person in Brother Mo, and his full-time job now is to run to the HiveMapper team. He bought a bunch of dashcam himself, then found a group of online booking drivers and card drivers, installed equipment for them, and helped him run the map every day. He is responsible for back-end management, dividends, and equipment maintenance, which has become his "personal map company". Some people specialize in the operation and maintenance of Helium hotspot, deploy networks, maintain nodes, and become regional agents.

These are brand new job opportunities, and you don’t need to know how to write code. As long as you can use devices and manage resources, you can participate in a Web3 network and start making money.

Conclusion : DEPIN sounds very "technical", but it is actually a very simple logic: break down the resources we come into contact with in the real world every day, and then use incentive mechanisms to allow people to actively participate. It gives us a chance to participate in the construction of AI in the future. If you missed the early days of Bitcoin and Ethereum, this time might be your entry.