DePIN, DeSci and DeFAI: The Rise and Potential of New Concepts in Web3

With the recovery of the cryptocurrency market and continuous technological advancements, many new concepts have emerged in the Web3 space, among which DePIN, DeSci, and DeFAI are particularly noteworthy. These innovative ideas not only showcase the limitless possibilities of blockchain technology but also bring new transformative opportunities to traditional industries.

DePIN: Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network

DePIN stands for "Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network". It utilizes blockchain technology and token incentive mechanisms to coordinate and manage hardware facilities in the real world in a decentralized manner. This concept can be traced back to MachineFi proposed by IoTeX in 2021, which was further developed by Messari.

The core of DePIN lies in coordinating multiple individuals' physical hardware facilities in a permissionless, trustless, and programmable manner through blockchain technology. It encompasses various infrastructure areas such as storage space, communication bandwidth, cloud computing, and energy.

Taking IoTeX as an example, its products such as home cameras and physical data recorders are concrete applications of the DePIN concept in real life. Recently, IoTeX's collaboration with Eliza Labs has further combined DePIN with AI Agents, creating a new paradigm of AI agents with perceptual capabilities in the physical world.

DeSci: Decentralized Science

DeSci, or "Decentralized Science," aims to use blockchain technology to address many issues in traditional scientific research, such as review fairness, funding allocation, intellectual property management, and data transparency.

DeSci can be seen as a bridge connecting the general public with advanced technological development. It allows ordinary people to participate in technology investment in a simple and direct manner, while also providing scientists with more channels to obtain research funding. Through blockchain technology, the entire research process becomes more transparent, with all data and decisions publicly recorded on the chain.

The emergence of DeSci poses a challenge to the "academic hierarchy" system of the traditional academic world. It offers a fairer and more open academic environment that encourages newcomers and researchers with different viewpoints to participate, breaking the long-standing monopoly on academic resources. However, DeSci still faces various challenges on its path to achieving its goals, including legal, technical, and academic recognition issues.

DeFAI: The Fusion of DeFi and AI

DeFAI is the combination of DeFi (Decentralized Finance) and AI (Artificial Intelligence). This emerging concept aims to leverage the powerful computing and data analysis capabilities of AI to enhance the efficiency and security of DeFi projects.

Ideally, DeFAI can significantly lower the threshold for users to participate in DeFi. For example, users can issue trading instructions directly in natural language, while the AI is responsible for parsing the requests, finding the best sources of liquidity, generating transaction data, and guiding users to complete the signature.

However, the practical application of DeFAI still faces many challenges. For example, the ability of AI to understand natural language is whether it is sufficient to accurately execute complex financial transaction instructions, as well as how to ensure the safety and timeliness of transactions while providing convenience. Solving these issues may require further breakthroughs in AI technology and may even need revolutionary technological support such as brain-computer interfaces.

Although concepts such as DePIN, DeSci, and DeFAI are still in their early stages of development, they have already shown great potential. With continuous technological advancements, improvements in the ecosystem, and enhanced market awareness, these innovative ideas are expected to bring about profound changes in their respective fields. More importantly, their interconnection and collaborative development may collectively shape a new digital economy ecosystem that is more open, efficient, and intelligent.