The success of DePIN is in all of our pockets

Web3 smartphones and DePIN projects are reshaping the digital landscape by enabling decentralized networks and democratizing AI.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

The following is a guest post from J.D. Seraphine, Founder and CEO at Raiinmaker.

In an era where technology advancements continuously reshape the landscape of our daily lives, mobile devices have emerged as an integral tool for driving connectivity. Growing hand in hand with this connectivity has been the public’s consciousness and concern for the security and privacy of their data, as well as their awareness of the suboptimally centralized nature of many of our legacy systems. 

Intriguingly, however, it is mobile devices, the source and driver of many of society’s privacy and security issues, that may hold the key to realizing a more decentralized and secure digital future via decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). Smartphones, with their omnipresence, advanced capabilities, and seamless connectivity, provide the perfect platform to support and expand decentralized infrastructure and distributed networks. 

Additionally, Web3 phones are now hitting the market in earnest – just this month, Solana Mobile garnered $70 million in preorders for its second blockchain smartphone, Seeker, which is set to launch in 2025. Among its features, Seeker includes an upgraded crypto wallet and new reward mechanisms that are specifically tailored toward unlocking the transformational potential of DePIN.

DePIN as the Solution to the Crisis of Centralization

The recent technical issue with CrowdStrike’s centralized software – which led to a global outage affecting numerous sectors – again highlighted the issues created by the centralization of much of the core systems that the modern world relies upon, and the urgent need to move away from monolithic entities, towards a more decentralized future.

Projected to grow up to $3.5 trillion by 2028 – DePIN technology has emerged as one of the revolutionary advancements in the journey toward a more distributed world. DePIN projects seek to replace the existing centralized model by creating peer-to-peer (P2P) networks where individuals can contribute and own shared control over the network, ​​promoting active community participation, and giving users decision making authority. As well as decentralizing control, data is distributed across multiple nodes – making it less vulnerable to single points of failure, and attack from malicious actors.

Mobile Devices Key to Achieving DePIN at Scale

First and foremost, leveraging DePIN on mobile devices has the clear benefit of enhancing security through decentralized data distribution, providing users with greater control over their personal data, and addressing their privacy concerns. Additionally, for DePIN to really take off and provide a credible alternative to the current centralized system, a key requirement will be the ample availability of nodes to drive the efficiency and effectiveness of networks.

In the modern world, the ubiquity of mobile devices means that people are always connected, always online – the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) has predicted that by 2025 72.6% of internet users or nearly 3.7 billion people will access the web through their smartphones. This constant connectivity of the modern population is a crucial factor for DePIN technology, which relies on the network effect – the more people who are connected and contributing to the network, the more robust and efficient the network becomes. With smartphones in billions of people’s pockets, DePIN projects can leverage this vast, existing infrastructure to reach and engage users at an incredibly significant scale.

Taking things to the next level, mobile phones are becoming ever more powerful and capable – equipped with advanced processors, significant storage, and high-speed 5G internet connectivity. These capabilities make them ever-improving and ideal nodes in a decentralized network, capable of performing complex tasks, storing data securely, and communicating with other devices seamlessly. 

A recent study also reinforced the idea of mobile devices as catalysts for efficient decentralized infrastructure networks. The research found that by harnessing the power of mobile devices, projects can: enhance network efficiency and accessibility, promote decentralization by distributing computational tasks – reducing reliance on centralized data centers, and become more energy-efficient, contributing to sustainable network operations.

Clearly, the integration of mobile devices into DePINs has the very real potential to represent a significant step in the evolution of decentralized networks, improving accessibility, efficiency, and sustainability – offering a scaled alternative to the current centralized models and opening up more and more transformative real-world use cases.

Transformative Real-World Use Cases

It should also be stressed that while DePIN technology must scale further, it is not just a theoretical concept at this stage – it is already demonstrating its capabilities to transform critical infrastructure and create real-world impact across various industries, such as AI training and development, AI reputation management, telecommunications, and much more.

To explain further, training AI models requires massive amounts of data and computational power and therefore, access to powerful AI capabilities has been monopolized by major tech players. DePIN opens the door for individuals and smaller entities to harness the potential of AI, by leveraging a decentralized network of mobile devices that is more efficient and cost-effective.

This decentralized approach democratizes AI development, allowing more individuals and organizations to participate in and benefit from AI advancements. Projects like Render Network and VALDI are just some examples of this process already in action – and allow users worldwide to leverage decentralized infrastructure for AI, fostering inclusivity, and also sparking innovation from the ground up.

Similarly, DePIN has transformative potential in the realm of telecommunications – as the traditional infrastructure systems are centralized, expensive, and often fail to reach remote or underserved areas. A distributed network approach, pursued by projects like Helium, offers a decentralized alternative where individuals can share their internet connections, creating a community-driven network. This approach can significantly reduce costs and extend connectivity, addressing the urgent need to bridge the digital divide for the 3 billion people who still remain unconnected. This increase in connectivity has the added benefit of increasing the availability of mobile devices to act as nodes for DePIN projects, driving forward additional adoption.

These use cases are just a small glimpse into DePIN’s potential and illustrate the diverse applications across various industries, leveraging decentralized infrastructure to enhance efficiency, security, and sustainability.​

Path Forward

The path forward is clear – a mobile device-driven approach is key to the mass adoption of Web3 technologies, ​and key to realizing the full potential of DePIN to achieve scaled trustless networks built on reputation and present genuine alternatives to existing centralized solutions. 

The ubiquity of mobile devices around the world presents a major opportunity for DePIN to succeed, if we can just find ways to attract more and more people to participate, contribute, and benefit from decentralized networks. As more people join, the network becomes stronger and more robust, driving further adoption and creating a positive feedback loop.