Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) are becoming one of the most important frontiers in blockchain in 2025. Unlike earlier blockchain use cases that focused on digital tokens and finance, DePIN brings decentralization into the physical world. It connects real infrastructure such as wireless networks, sensor systems, and GPU compute power to blockchain protocols, allowing communities to contribute resources and earn rewards.
This shift is arriving just as demand for physical infrastructure is growing rapidly. AI, IoT, and edge computing are creating new pressure on traditional systems. DePIN offers an alternative model built on community ownership, token incentives, and decentralized coordination.
As DePIN continues to gain momentum, Solana is quickly emerging as one of its most active and capable ecosystems. In this article, we start with a brief overview of what DePIN is and why Solana is well suited for it. Then, we spotlight five top DePIN projects to watch, each pushing the boundaries of how blockchain can coordinate real-world infrastructure at scale.
The DePIN Revolution on Solana
What Is DePIN?
DePIN is a blockchain-based model for building and coordinating physical infrastructure. Instead of depending on centralized corporations to deploy and manage systems, DePIN allows individuals and communities to contribute resources like bandwidth, compute power, and geolocation data in exchange for token rewards.
Source: State of DePIN 2024 by Messari
The growth of this sector has been rapid. According to Messari and IoTeX, the number of DePIN projects expanded from 650 in 2023 to more than 2,300 by the end of 2024, representing a 264% increase. As of early 2025, the ecosystem includes over 1,170 active projects, more than 350 tokens, and a total market capitalization exceeding 50 billion dollars. With more than 5.7 million devices deployed across 196 countries, DePIN is evolving into a global infrastructure layer across industries like connectivity, sensing, and compute.
Why Solana for DePIN?
Solana has emerged as the preferred blockchain for DePIN projects due to its unique combination of high-throughput speed, exceptional scalability, and remarkably low transaction costs. The network's architecture enables the frequent microtransactions necessary for rewarding infrastructure providers in real-time, while its existing ecosystem provides the composability that DePIN projects need to integrate with other decentralized applications.
Source: Dune, Slice Analytics
The numbers speak for themselves: Messari projects that the DePIN market cap could reach an astounding $3.5 trillion by 2028, and Solana is positioned at the forefront of this growth.
As of June 2025, the total market value of DePIN projects on Solana reached $3.24 billion, significantly surpassing other blockchain platforms and demonstrating the network's strong position in this emerging sector.
Top 5 Solana DePIN Projects to Watch in 2025
As DePIN evolves from concept to proven business models, certain projects have distinguished themselves through strong fundamentals, impressive growth metrics, and celebrity backing. These five Solana-based networks are leading the charge in bringing decentralized infrastructure to mainstream adoption.
1. Helium - Decentralized Wireless Networks
Source: Render Network
Helium Network stands as the undisputed pioneer of the DePIN movement, having successfully migrated to Solana on April 18, 2023. This strategic transition enabled Helium to leverage Solana's superior scalability while focusing on building decentralized wireless infrastructure.
Scale That Matters: The network operates IoT and mobile systems with nearly one million hotspots deployed across 192 countries, creating the world's largest decentralized wireless network. To put this in perspective, only 50-100 Helium hotspots are needed to provide coverage for an entire city, compared to traditional cell towers that cost up to $150,000 each to install. Helium's annual IoT connectivity costs just $1.75 per device versus $18-30 per device on traditional cellular networks (up to 17x cheaper).
In 2025, Helium continues expanding with its $20 unlimited 5G cellular plan, major carrier partnerships including AT&T WiFi integration and Telefónica's Mexico expansion, plus Google Pixel 8 integration. HNT maintains a strong market presence with $8.79 million in daily trading volume.
2. Render Network - GPU Computing Powerhouse
Source: Render Network
Render Network leads decentralized GPU computing with a star-studded advisory board including Hollywood legends J.J. Abrams (Star Wars, Star Trek), Ari Emanuel (CEO of Endeavor), digital artist Beeple (creator of the $69M NFT), Brendan Eich (inventor of JavaScript), and Emad Mostaque (founder of Stability AI). This celebrity backing bridges cryptocurrency with Hollywood studio production pipelines.
Hollywood-Grade Impact: The platform demonstrates strong success with peak revenues of $300,000 per week and over 121 million RNDR tokens burned. RENDER commands significant market attention with $62.98 million in 24-hour volume and a $2.1 billion market cap. The network operates simply: individuals with idle GPU capacity contribute resources and earn tokens, while creators access distributed computing power at lower costs.
Render's 2024 transition from Ethereum to Solana reflects superior capabilities for compute marketplaces. The platform integrates seamlessly with industry tools like Blender and Arnold.
3. Grass - AI Data Infrastructure
Source: Grass Network
Grass Network represents an innovative approach to data collection and AI model training, experiencing explosive growth from 200,000 to over 3 million users between Q4 2024 and early 2025. The platform allows users to share excess internet bandwidth to help train AI models while earning proportional rewards.
Rivaling Tech Giants: Currently processing around 759,000 TB of data daily, Grass is building the first open internet-scale web crawl to compete with trillion-dollar companies. The recent Sion Upgrade enhanced capabilities for processing multimodal web content with daily data collection rates rivaling major tech companies. Trading activity shows robust engagement with $44.51 million in daily volume.
Despite fluctuations, Grass remains the second-largest DePIN project on Solana after Helium. Market analysts predict significant growth potential for this AI infrastructure token.
4. io.net - Decentralized GPU Networks
Source: io.net
io.net positions itself as crucial AI infrastructure by aggregating global GPU supply and making it accessible to machine learning teams at significantly lower costs than centralized alternatives. The platform offers comprehensive products enabling permissionless access to global cloud clusters.
Solving AI's Biggest Challenge: The network requires node operators to stake minimum IO tokens as collateral before receiving rewards, ensuring network integrity. Users can deploy clusters using various payment methods including fiat and USDC, though backend settlements occur in IO tokens.
In 2025, io.net continues expanding through partnerships with Alpha Network and Mira Network. The platform supports wide-ranging machine learning frameworks, ensuring flexibility despite recent supply-side challenges.
5. Hivemapper - Decentralized Mapping
Source: Bee Maps - Powered by Hivemapper
Hivemapper revolutionizes geospatial data by creating a decentralized Google Maps alternative through community-powered data collection. The project uses dashcam-equipped vehicles to generate comprehensive, up-to-date mapping data while rewarding contributors.
Breaking Google's Monopoly: The platform demonstrates DePIN composability by using Helium hotspots to verify driver locations without storing personal information. Hivemapper is one of only two companies capable of crawling the entire web for mapping data, directly challenging Google's multi-trillion dollar mapping infrastructure.
Hivemapper addresses traditional mapping pain points, including outdated information and limited coverage. By incentivizing drivers to contribute fresh data, the network maintains more current geographic information than centralized alternatives.
How to Evaluate Solana DePIN Projects Before Investing
With the rapid expansion of DePIN, not all projects will deliver lasting value. For investors, analysts, and contributors, evaluating these networks requires more than surface-level indicators. Here are five key areas to examine when assessing the strength and long-term viability of a DePIN project.
1. Check Real Infrastructure Growth: Look for evidence of physical deployment. This includes active nodes, connected devices, or contributors providing bandwidth, compute, or sensor data. A growing network usually signals real demand.
2. Link Token Utility to Network Usage: The token should play an active role in the network. It should be needed to access services, reward contributors, or pay for usage. If token demand doesn't grow with network usage, that’s a red flag.
3. Assess Scalability and Architecture: Can the project scale across geographies or use cases? Modular design, developer tools, and support for integration make it easier to expand as adoption increases.
4. Look for Real-World Integration: Projects that form partnerships with enterprises, cities, or platforms are more likely to succeed. Integration with existing systems shows product relevance and stronger go-to-market potential.
5. Consider Regulatory Sensitivity: DePIN projects vary in legal exposure depending on what they decentralize. Data-heavy networks face different challenges than compute-focused ones. Projects that address compliance early are better prepared for long-term growth.
Challenges and Opportunities for DePIN on Solana
Technical and Operational Challenges
DePIN projects on Solana face key issues around data integrity and infrastructure logistics. Verifying off-chain data like geolocation, bandwidth, or compute availability remains complex, with trustless verification still evolving. Maintaining decentralized hardware at scale also brings challenges in uptime, contributor reliability, and token-driven incentives.
Opportunities Through Latest Aplenglow and Firedancer Upgrade
Solana’s recent and upcoming upgrades offer critical improvements. Aplenglow enhances fee stability, helping DePIN apps deliver predictable pricing for uploads, registrations, and rewards. Firedancer significantly boosts throughput and resilience, making it easier to support real-time data from thousands of devices without network slowdowns. Together, these upgrades create a stronger foundation for scaling DePIN infrastructure.
Conclusion
As we move through 2025, the convergence of advanced computing, AI deployment, and IoT expansion is creating unprecedented demand for infrastructure that is faster, more local, and less reliant on centralized control. Solana’s DePIN ecosystem is emerging at the center of this shift, powered by ongoing technical improvements, growing investment, and real-world use. The projects building on Solana today reflect a broader movement toward decentralized infrastructure models that can scale flexibly, serve global demand, and operate with greater transparency and efficiency than traditional systems.