Original Source: Biteye
"Solana's greatest advantage lies in its versatility, capable of simultaneously carrying multiple different types of applications and tracks." - Lily Liu, Chairperson of Solana Foundation
Many relationships in the world are like a seesaw. On one side, ETH's token price is recovering after its tenth anniversary, while on the other side, SOL is experiencing some anxiety - the path of the "Ethereum killer" has become more difficult, and it has even welcomed its own "killers" - quite a turn of events.
However, moderate anxiety is not necessarily a bad thing for individuals or projects. For Solana, which has weathered many storms, dealing with such situations has become second nature. In this article, we aim to help you understand Solana's recent major moves and delve into the current landscape and future outlook of Solana AI.
01 Frequent Official Moves
1. Alpenglow Upgrade: Replacing SoH, Racing Faster with Competitors like SUI
Alpenglow is considered the most significant upgrade to the Solana core protocol to date, comparable to Ethereum's transition from PoW to PoS consensus. Its mission is to replace the existing PoH (Proof of History) and Tower BFT consensus mechanisms.
Why replace the existing consensus mechanism?
In the past, PoH did not need to synchronize timestamps like other blockchains, and Tower BFT used a "one person packages, others vote" approach, significantly simplifying block synchronization time. This made Solana far ahead in performance among all public chains early on. However, under high load, PoH would cause massive computational overhead, and combined with Tower BFT's single leader overload problem, this led to Solana's frequently criticized downtime issues.
Additionally, Solana was often criticized for high node operation costs, leading to insufficient decentralization.
How does Alpenglow improve?
Simply put, Alpenglow removes PoH, the potential computational killer, using Votor (stake-weighted voting) combined with node clocks to handle time sequence and confirmation, reducing the computational burden on leader nodes. Addressing the drawbacks of a single leader, it paves the way for future implementation of multiple leaders proposing blocks simultaneously.
Another core component, Rotor, optimizes block propagation and synchronization, reducing block confirmation time from 12.8s to 150ms. Moreover, by reducing communication overhead and computational burden between nodes, it allows weak nodes to participate efficiently, achieving "performance upgrade without hardware upgrade".
According to Cogent Crypto's validator earnings calculator, after Alpenglow implementation, the minimum staking amount required for validators to be profitable will drop from 4850 SOL (about $800,000) to 450 SOL (about $75,000).
Final Expectation
The Alpenglow whitepaper states: "Alpenglow will be a turning point for Solana, not just a new consensus protocol, but a key step towards internet infrastructure-level competitiveness."
In simple terms: faster, more stable, cheaper, more scalable, more decentralized, reclaiming the performance throne and escaping the nightmare of downtime.
(Translation continues in the same manner for the rest of the text)In the AI computing network, early projects like Render, io.net, and Aethir first attempted on-chain decentralized computing power, with different focuses:
- Render focuses on 3D animation and metaverse rendering tasks, recording rendering task allocation and payment on Solana, and matching GPU providers and demanders through smart contracts.
- io.net primarily provides low-cost decentralized GPU computing power for AI and machine learning, automatically allocating computing power through its own network, with Solana used for settling $IO tokens and recording node contributions.
- Aethir mainly optimizes real-time applications like games through edge computing, distributing computing power to edge nodes via its own network, and using Solana to record transactions and $ATH token incentives.
These projects are among the early explorers of the already competitive decentralized computing network, with significant financing and market optimism. However, these projects typically require high-performance GPUs for participation, making the threshold too high for ordinary people.
In comparison, Grass, Helium, Roam, and Gradient Network have a better grassroots foundation.
- Grass is a decentralized data collection network where users can automatically contribute bandwidth by downloading a browser plugin or app and collect network data through activities like web crawling. User contributions are recorded on the Solana chain and rewarded with $GRASS.
- Roam aims to build a network providing seamless, secure global internet coverage through community-provided WiFi nodes. Users can earn $ROAM tokens by providing WiFi coverage or verifying networks through the app, with the project using Solana for node management and payment.
- Gradient Network is a decentralized edge computing platform where users can contribute idle computing resources (like mobile phones, laptops) by installing a plugin to support AI inference, content distribution, and serverless functions. Solana's on-chain mechanism coordinates and pays between devices, ensuring efficient and secure decentralized computing.
- Helium provides decentralized IoT and mobile network coverage, using Solana to record hotspot data and transactions. Users can buy and deploy Helium Hotspots (priced around $200-500) to provide network coverage and earn $HNT or $MOBILE tokens. A more accessible method is using the Helium and T-Mobile phone card in the US, enabling "Network Mapping" to share anonymous location data and earn Cloud Points or $MOBILE tokens, with free phone card trial.
These projects have actively explored infrastructure at the intersection of blockchain and AI (such as bandwidth, data, computing power), bringing enormous imagination and confidence to the market and further opening a new chapter in DeAI. Although the token prices have fallen from their peaks, the network effect remains evident, with many projects establishing partnerships with traditional large companies and gaining mainstream market recognition.
2、Good Liquidity: As the project's currency, the price stability and smooth circulation of AI tokens have a significant impact on the project. Solana's current daily average DEX Volume is as high as $1.4 B, ranking second only to Ethereum, and boasting a mature and active DeFi ecosystem with platforms like Raydium and Jito, making it easy for AI projects to access stable liquidity pools. After the upgrade, it is expected to attract more market makers, provide deep liquidity, and help AI tokens circulate and raise funds quickly.
3、Smart Contract Support: Solana supports parallel processing and more flexible development languages. Its virtual machine SVM can more efficiently handle complex logic, suitable for the more complex on-chain execution required by AI tasks (such as Agent decision-making or data validation). After the Alpenglow upgrade, contract functions will become more powerful and run more stably, making it easier for AI developers to build applications like predictive markets or automated training.
4、Decentralization: Although Solana has long been criticized for "not being decentralized enough" compared to Ethereum, it currently has over 2,000 nodes, far exceeding many popular performance chains and proprietary chains. The Alpenglow upgrade will reduce operating costs and is expected to attract more nodes, further enhancing decentralization and strengthening the resistance to censorship and global distribution of the AI ecosystem.
5、Ecosystem Interaction: As a general-purpose chain, Solana's ecosystem is more complete, diverse, and mature, making it easy for AI projects to collaborate across domains, such as AI Agents using DePIN computing networks and seamless interactions with on-chain RWA assets. The comprehensive ecosystem can easily empower AI projects.
05 In Conclusion
In the crypto, we are always excited about the birth of narratives and anxious about their collapse. Solana, full of memes, is a master of narratives. "On-chain Nasdaq" and AI are undoubtedly its two most important narratives.
The arrival of the Alpenglow upgrade is full of anticipation. At that time, the Solana that once fought single-handedly against Ethereum and the entire Layer 2 ecosystem will become stronger. But whether it is strong enough to shoulder these two narratives and compete with more general-purpose and proprietary chains? Perhaps only time will tell.
