DePIN Crypto Projects Reshaping 2025: Your Guide to Decentralized Infrastructure Networks

The decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN crypto) sector is exploding. As of late 2024, the combined market cap of DePIN projects hit $32 billion with a 24-hour trading volume near $3 billion. What started as a fringe concept is now attracting serious institutional attention. VanEck remains bullish on DePIN as a vehicle to onboard the next billion users into Web3, while Borderless Capital just launched a $100 million fund dedicated solely to DePIN expansion. The question isn’t whether DePIN matters anymore—it’s which projects will dominate the space.

What Actually Is DePIN Crypto?

Think of DePIN crypto as the bridge between blockchain’s digital world and real-world infrastructure. Instead of relying on centralized companies to run networks, DePIN distributes the workload across thousands of individual contributors. Whether it’s storing data, delivering streaming content, managing IoT devices, or processing AI computations, participants get rewarded with tokens for powering these networks.

The beauty? No single point of failure. No massive data center costs. No gatekeepers controlling access. This is why industries from energy to wireless are exploring DePIN solutions. The model is proving it can cut costs while improving reliability and accessibility across the board.

The DePIN Crypto Market: Growth, Challenges, and Outlook

The DePIN sector grew 28% year-over-year to exceed $32 billion. Analysts are even more optimistic about what’s ahead—some predict the market could balloon to $3.5 trillion by 2028. The growth is being fueled by three core areas: computing, storage, and AI services.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. Technical complexity, regulatory uncertainty across jurisdictions, and the need to prove superiority over traditional systems remain hurdles. Still, the momentum is undeniable. As businesses demand scalable, decentralized alternatives, DePIN crypto projects are positioned to capture massive value.

The 12 Best DePIN Crypto Projects You Should Watch

1. Internet Computer (ICP): The “World Computer”

Internet Computer positions itself as the decentralized alternative to cloud providers. Instead of AWS or Google Cloud, ICP lets developers host web applications directly on a public blockchain. The network uses independent data centers globally to create what DFINITY calls a “world computer.”

In 2024, ICP pushed through major upgrades—Tokamak, Beryllium, and Stellarator—that boosted network performance. The payoff? A 121% price surge over the past year. ICP’s market cap now sits above $4.3 billion. Looking ahead, the roadmap includes deeper AI integration and interoperability with Solana, positioning ICP as a cornerstone of decentralized computing infrastructure.

2. Bittensor (TAO): Decentralized AI On-Chain

Bittensor merges blockchain with machine learning to create a peer-to-peer AI marketplace. Model trainers and validators stake TAO tokens and get rewarded based on their contributions. It’s essentially Airbnb for AI compute—connecting those who need machine learning power with those who can provide it.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $261.30
• 1-Year Change: -53.33%
• Market Cap: $2.51B

Despite recent market volatility, TAO remains one of the most innovative DePIN plays. The integration of Proof of Intelligence and Decentralized Mixture of Experts has strengthened the ecosystem. The roadmap for 2025 focuses on expanding industrial applications and deepening protocol refinements to cement TAO’s role as the backbone of decentralized AI infrastructure.

3. Render Network (RENDER): GPU Power Meets Blockchain

Render Network taps into idle GPU capacity worldwide and makes it available for 3D rendering, animation, and VR content creation. Think of it as Airbnb for graphics processing—creators get affordable rendering, GPU owners get paid, and everyone saves money compared to centralized rendering farms.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $2.10
• 1-Year Change: -73.81%
• Market Cap: $1.09B

The 2024 migration from Ethereum to Solana was a big move, improving transaction speeds and slashing fees. The creative industries—film, gaming, VR—are increasingly using Render as the backbone of their rendering infrastructure. 2025 should see broader adoption as more studios integrate RENDER’s network.

4. Filecoin (FIL): Decentralized Storage Revolution

Filecoin created an open marketplace for data storage. Instead of paying Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage, users can rent storage from individuals running Filecoin nodes. Providers prove they’re actually storing your data over time and get paid in FIL tokens.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $1.47
• 24-Hour High: $1.54
• Market Cap: $1.08B

The launch of the Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM) was pivotal—it opened new use cases from DeFi collateral to payment layers. Total Value Locked surpassed $200 million. The roadmap for 2025 emphasizes enhanced programmability and Ethereum compatibility, making FIL the go-to for decentralized storage infrastructure.

5. Shieldeum (SDM): Web3 Security Through DePIN

Shieldeum applies DePIN principles to cybersecurity. It uses AI-powered data center servers to provide hosting, encryption, threat detection, and high-performance computing for Web3 enterprises. The $SDM token incentivizes node operators and enables governance.

In 2024, Shieldeum hit major milestones—cross-platform app deployment (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS) and secured $2 million in USDT for node testing. The 2025 roadmap includes new security products, market expansion, and a custom BNB Layer-2 blockchain for node execution.

6. The Graph (GRT): Blockchain Data Infrastructure

The Graph is the indexing layer for blockchain. It lets developers query on-chain data efficiently, powering thousands of dApps. Indexers, Curators, and Delegators earn GRT tokens for maintaining this infrastructure.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $0.04
• 1-Year Change: -83.38%
• Market Cap: $425.77M

Despite market headwinds, GRT’s ecosystem expanded to support Ethereum, NEAR, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Avalanche, and more. The 2025 roadmap is ambitious: expanding data services beyond subgraphs, improving indexer performance, and building composable data tools. GRT is positioned as the foundational data layer of Web3.

7. Theta Network (THETA): Decentralized Video Delivery

Theta leverages spare bandwidth and computing power to improve video streaming. Content providers get cheaper delivery, users sharing resources get paid in TFUEL tokens, and the network strengthens. The 2024 launch of EdgeCloud created a global computing grid powered by community nodes.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $0.30
• 1-Year Change: -87.91%
• Market Cap: $298.70M

The EdgeCloud Phase 3 rollout for 2025 will feature an open marketplace connecting clients with edge nodes and an intelligent coordinator for task routing. This positions Theta as a serious contender in decentralized computing infrastructure.

8. Arweave (AR): Permanent Data Storage

Arweave takes a different approach to decentralized storage—it’s designed for permanent preservation. The “blockweave” structure links each block to multiple previous blocks, ensuring data redundancy. The Succinct Proof of Random Access (SPoRA) consensus incentivizes miners to preserve historical data.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $3.89
• Market Cap: $254.49M
• 1-Year Change: -80.00%

The November 2024 protocol upgrade (v2.8) improved efficiency and energy usage. AR remains attractive for archival use cases and long-term data preservation. The ecosystem continues expanding with new dApp integrations in 2025.

9. JasmyCoin (JASMY): IoT Data Sovereignty

Jasmy, founded by former Sony executives, tackles data sovereignty through blockchain and IoT. Users control their personal data and can monetize it in a decentralized marketplace without relying on Big Tech.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $0.01
• Market Cap: $337.76M
• 1-Year Change: -82.88%

The 2024 growth was fueled by partnerships and increasing recognition of Jasmy’s use case. The 2025 strategy includes alliances with IoT hardware companies, new functionalities, and showcasing real-world data monetization benefits.

10. Helium (HNT): Decentralized Wireless Networks

Helium incentivizes individuals to deploy Hotspots that provide long-range IoT connectivity. The network now operates on Solana, boosting scalability. Helium’s transition to Solana and the introduction of subnetwork tokens (IOT, MOBILE) have diversified the ecosystem.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $1.58
• Market Cap: $294.20M
• 1-Year Change: -76.58%

The 2025 roadmap includes enhanced Proof-of-Coverage mechanisms and expanded 5G capabilities to support more devices and applications globally.

11. Grass Network (GRASS): Data Collection for AI

Grass monetizes unused internet bandwidth by collecting public web data for AI training. Users run nodes to contribute data, earning passive income. The platform hit 2 million users during beta. The October 2024 token launch distributed 100 million GRASS tokens to 1.5 million wallets.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $0.33
• Market Cap: $148.34M
• 1-Year Change: -89.42%

Despite volatility, GRASS represents a novel DePIN use case—connecting human bandwidth directly to AI development. The 2025 focus is infrastructure expansion and governance model development.

12. IoTeX (IOTX): The DePIN Operating System

IoTeX created a modular blockchain specifically for DePIN projects. The 2024 launch of IoTeX 2.0 introduced DePIN Infrastructure Modules (DIMs) and a Modular Security Pool (MSP), providing a unified trust layer. The ecosystem now hosts 230+ dApps and 50+ active DePIN projects.

Current Data (Jan 2026):

• Price: $0.01
• Market Cap: $74.70M
• 1-Year Change: -81.11%

The ambitious 2025 goal: onboard 100 million devices and unlock trillions in real-world value on-chain. IoTeX is positioning itself as the foundational layer for the entire DePIN industry.

Why DePIN Crypto Matters Right Now

The shift from centralized to decentralized infrastructure is inevitable. Traditional providers—AWS, Google Cloud, Akamai—charge premiums for convenience and reliability. DePIN crypto projects undercut these costs while improving resilience through distribution. For investors, this represents massive value capture potential. For developers and users, it means cheaper, more reliable services.

The $32 billion market cap is just the beginning. As the world demands better alternatives to Big Tech infrastructure, DePIN crypto projects will play an increasingly central role in Web3 and beyond.