What’s New in DePin? io.net New Partnership, MapMetrics Token Listing Roadmap, and More

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePin) are transforming the tech by enabling decentralized projects in real-world infrastructure.

Here’s what happened in the DePin sector recently: io.net partners with Zerebro for AI development, MapMetrics released a roadmap for a future token listing, and Fluence gained two new early adopters for its cloudless virtual machine program.

io.net Partners with Zerebro

io.net, a DePIN GPU compute network, partnered with autonomous AI agent Zerebro last week, according to a press release shared with BeInCrypto. Zerebro will use io.net’s decentralized compute resources to enhance its Ethereum validator, which will help integrate AI and blockchain technology.

“This collaboration… marks an exciting step forward for autonomous agents and decentralized AI in general. Zerebro can build with io.net’s permissionless and globally distributed compute network, ensuring it has the ability to continuously sustain operations and to keep innovating,” Tausif Ahmed, Chief Business Development Officer at io.net, told BeInCrypto.

In recent months, io.net has engaged in several prominent DePin/AI partnerships. For example, it worked with TARS Protocol to reduce AI model training costs by 30% in September, and joined with Zero1 Labs to advance decentralized AI development in November. In conducted a similar collaboration with OpenLedger earlier this month.

MapMetrics Announces Path to Token Listing

MapMetrics, a “drive-to-earn” navigation app, and GameFi token earner, recently released a roadmap for a token listing. This news came on a recent blog post recounting some of the company’s successes in the past year. Especially prominent was its incorporation into peaq’s DePin “peaqosystem” this August, a pivotal building block for MapMetrics’ token launch.

“While none of the projects building on peaq have launched their tokens yet, we are thrilled to announce that MapMetrics has been nominated as one of the very first projects to do so. This recognition underscores the trust in our project and its potential. Their commitment… ensures that we are well-prepared for a strong post-launch trajectory.” the post claimed.

Although MapMetrics listed its impending token launch as the most important development, several other accomplishments also received special attention. For example, in October, the firm released several major updates focused on increasing the quality of use for its navigation features. By prioritizing this over GameFi functions, MapMetrics plans for long-term growth.

Fluence Gains Two Early Adopters

Finally, cloudless internet provider Fluence announced that two firms, RapidNode and Supernoderz by Spheron, will join its DePin Cloudless VM (Virtual Machine) Alpha Testing Program. Fluence shared this via a press release with BeInCrypto, and the firm’s representatives seemed quite enthusiastic.

“Around 90% of blockchain protocol nodes and validators are hosted in the centralized cloud. We believe that for Web3 to fulfill the promise of decentralization, it must require its underlying infrastructure to be decentralized. With the launch of VMs and our first partners, Fluence is finally making this possible,” claimed Tom Trowbridge, Co-Founder of Fluence.

Fluence states that its cloudless virtual machines will eliminate the pain points of traditional cloud-based VMs. The company was sparse on details regarding the exact mechanisms of these upcoming products but claimed they are capable of deploying workloads at up to 75% lower prices than traditional cloud providers.