๐DePIN
(abbr. Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks)
A category of blockchain projects where network participants own and operate physical hardwareโwireless hotspots, data storage servers, weather stations, GPU compute unitsโand earn token rewards for doing so. Unlike the traditional model where a single company builds infrastructure, DePIN distributes both costs and ownership across thousands of participants.
Examples include Helium (wireless access points), Filecoin (data storage), Render (cloud GPU rendering), and Hivemapper (mapping via dashcams). Tokens in DePIN projects serve a dual role: incentivizing equipment operators and paying for network services on the consumer side.