The Unmissable DePIN Ecosystem of 2025: The Next Wave of Opportunities in Web3 Infrastructure

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) are becoming one of the most promising tracks in the Web3 space. To date, the total market capitalization of the DePIN ecosystem has surpassed $32 billion, with 24-hour trading volume approaching $3 billion. Venture capital firms like VanEck and Blockchain Capital are optimistic about this direction, with the latter establishing a $100 million fund dedicated to investing in the expansion of global DePIN projects.

What Problems Does DePIN Actually Solve?

Traditional infrastructure faces clear pain points: centralization, high costs, low efficiency, and single points of failure. DePIN combines blockchain with the physical world, using token incentive mechanisms to encourage contributors to provide computing power, storage, or bandwidth resources, thereby building a more decentralized, secure, and efficient infrastructure network.

Simply put, DePIN allows ordinary people to earn income by renting out idle resources (GPUs, hard drives, bandwidth, etc.), while companies needing these resources can obtain services at lower costs. This is a typical win-win model in the Web3 era.

Recent developments in the DePIN field are also encouraging—solutions are being tested across various industries, from energy supply and electric vehicle charging to IoT device management. Projects like U2U Network have developed EVM-compatible modular blockchain solutions optimized for DePIN applications, making transactions faster and more secure.

Hardware Decentralization: The Foundation of DePIN

Without hardware decentralization, true decentralization cannot be achieved. DePIN distributes the network’s physical components (antennas, hotspots, data servers, etc.) to participants worldwide, effectively eliminating the centralization risks of traditional infrastructure.

For example, Helium Network has over 335,000 Helium Mobile users, demonstrating how a decentralized wireless network can achieve rapid large-scale expansion while rewarding contributors. Meson Network has gathered over 59,000 contributing nodes, creating a global decentralized bandwidth marketplace that significantly reduces service costs.

This distributed hardware architecture not only enhances system stability but also opens up new possibilities for individual participation in infrastructure building.

How DePIN Works: From Concept to Practice

DePIN projects typically include three core elements:

Blockchain Architecture—provides tamper-proof transaction records and automates settlement through smart contracts

Token Incentives—issue native tokens to reward network contributors and encourage broad participation

Interoperability Design—ensures seamless collaboration with other blockchain networks and real-world systems

In practical applications, for example in the energy sector, households installing solar panels can securely sell excess electricity directly to neighbors or feed it back into the grid via blockchain. This not only optimizes resource utilization but also creates a truly democratized infrastructure.

Why Do DePIN Projects Stand Out?

Compared to traditional infrastructure solutions, DePIN has several inherent advantages:

Enhanced Security and Fault Tolerance—decentralized architecture greatly reduces single points of failure; blockchain technology ensures data security

Scalability and Cost Efficiency—projects like Filecoin and Arweave demonstrate that decentralized storage can efficiently handle massive data demands. In Q3 2023, Arweave completed 1.28 billion transactions and hosts over 130 active projects

Cost Democratization—expanding networks through token incentives rather than large capital investments lowers entry barriers

Innovation and Cross-Chain Collaboration—platforms like Streamr facilitate decentralized messaging and real-time data exchange, enhancing cross-ecosystem compatibility

The Top 12 DePIN Projects to Watch in 2025

1. Internet Computer (ICP) — General-purpose computing platform

In 2024, Internet Computer launched three major updates: Tokamak, Beryllium, and Stellarator, significantly improving network performance. However, recent market performance has been under pressure—ICP’s current price is $3.03, down 72.91% over the past year, with a market cap of $1.65B.

Long-term, ICP’s 2025 roadmap is promising: further integrating AI capabilities and expanding interoperability with mainstream blockchains like Solana. These initiatives could reshape ICP’s position in the Web3 infrastructure layer.

2. Bittensor (TAO) — Intersection of AI and blockchain

Bittensor creates a new paradigm: coordinating decentralized machine learning networks via blockchain. Contributed ML models are collectively trained, and TAO tokens are rewarded based on information value.

In 2024, Bittensor integrated smart proof and decentralized expert models, greatly enhancing AI service exchange efficiency within the network. Although TAO’s market performance is under pressure, its innovative approach continues to attract industry attention.

3. Render (RENDER) — Democratization of GPU computing power

Render Network has pioneered a new era of decentralized rendering, connecting idle GPU resources with 3D creative demands. In 2024, the project migrated from Ethereum to the Solana ecosystem and renamed its token from RNDR to RENDER.

Despite current market adjustments, its application prospects in creative industries remain significant—demand for high-performance rendering in animation, gaming, and VR is surging.

4. Filecoin (FIL) — Decentralized storage infrastructure

The launch of Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM) opened new ecological application possibilities, with on-chain TVL exceeding $200 million. The current trading price of FIL is $1.24, down 76.49% over the past year.

In 2025, Filecoin will focus on enhancing FVM’s programmability, supporting Ethereum-compatible smart contract deployment, which is a major boon for the developer ecosystem.

5. Shieldeum (SDM) — Web3 security shield

As an AI-driven DePIN security platform, Shieldeum offers one-stop services including application hosting, data encryption, and threat detection. The project has launched applications on mainstream platforms and received a node testing fund of 2 million USDT.

In 2025, Shieldeum plans to launch a dedicated BNB Layer-2 chain for nodes, with ambitions to build a secure ecosystem.

6. The Graph (GRT) — Data indexing hub

The Graph, as a decentralized indexing protocol, provides efficient blockchain data query services for dApps. GRT’s current price is $0.04, down 83.50% over the past year, with a market cap of $392.41M.

The project already supports Ethereum, NEAR, Arbitrum, and other major chains. Its 2025 roadmap focuses on data service ecosystems, developer empowerment, and indexer optimization, aiming to become the foundational data layer of Web3.

7. Theta Network (THETA) — Decentralized video streaming solution

Theta redefines video transmission by incentivizing users to contribute bandwidth and computing resources. The EdgeCloud launched in 2024 combines edge computing and cloud capabilities. THETA’s current price is $0.27, down 88.72% over the past year, with a market cap of $267.40M.

In 2025, Theta plans to launch the third phase of EdgeCloud, creating an open market connecting clients and community-operated edge nodes—an important step toward building a global computing grid.

8. Arweave (AR) — Permanent data storage solution

Arweave employs a “block wave” structure and SPoRA consensus mechanism to ensure permanent storage of historical data. The November 2.8 protocol upgrade reduced miner costs and improved network efficiency. AR’s current price is $3.46, down 79.83% over the past year, with a market cap of $226.80M.

In 2025, Arweave will promote deeper integration with more dApps, expanding the scope of permanent storage applications.

9. JasmyCoin (JASMY) — Guardian of data sovereignty in IoT

Founded by former Sony executives, Jasmy aims to protect IoT data sovereignty using blockchain. Users can fully control personal information, enabling secure data exchange and monetization. JASMY’s current price is $0.01, down 84.43% over the past year, with a market cap of $299.29M.

In 2025, Jasmy plans to establish strategic alliances with leading IoT device manufacturers to promote data democratization.

10. Helium (HNT) — Decentralized wireless network

Helium has built the world’s largest decentralized wireless network, with users mining HNT by deploying hotspots. The network has migrated to Solana, enhancing scalability. HNT’s current price is $1.51, down 79.63% over the past year, with a market cap of $280.79M.

In 2025, Helium will strengthen its Proof-of-Coverage mechanism and expand global network coverage.

11. Grass Network (GRASS) — New gateway for AI data collection

Grass enables users to contribute idle bandwidth to provide high-quality data for AI training. During beta, over 2 million users participated, and 150 million tokens were airdropped to wallets. GRASS’s current price is $0.30, down 87.53% over the past year, with a market cap of $129.71M.

In 2025, Grass will introduce staking and DAO governance to build a more inclusive decentralized ecosystem.

12. IoTeX (IOTX) — Foundational layer in DePIN

IoTeX 2.0 upgrade introduces DePIN Infrastructure Modules (DIMs) and modular security pools, providing a unified trust layer for DePIN projects. The ecosystem supports over 230 dApps and 50 DePIN projects. IOTX’s current price is $0.01, down 81.44% over the past year, with a market cap of $68.41M.

In 2025, IoTeX aims to connect 100 million devices on-chain, aspiring to become the DePIN layer for the entire crypto universe.

The Three Major Obstacles to DePIN Development

Technical Complexity—Integrating blockchain with physical infrastructure involves complex security, scalability, and interoperability challenges

Regulatory Uncertainty—Differences in regulations across jurisdictions for digital and physical assets lead to high compliance costs

Market Trust—Traditional industries still doubt the reliability of decentralized systems, requiring more real-world use cases to prove their viability

The Future of the DePIN Market

The DePIN market is growing at an annual rate of 28%, with a total scale exceeding $32 billion. Market forecasts suggest that by 2028, the DePIN market could reach $3.5 trillion.

This growth is driven by persistent demand in key areas such as computing, storage, and AI. Transitioning from centralized to decentralized infrastructure is not just a technological evolution but a systemic upgrade—more efficient, inclusive, and resilient.

The Infrastructure Revolution in the Web3 Era Has Begun

DePIN represents a new approach to building Web3 infrastructure. As demand for decentralized solutions continues to rise, DePIN projects are becoming some of the most promising tracks for investors and developers. Whether individual contributors or institutional investors, everyone is seeking opportunities in this wave.