New program aims to fuel innovation in decentralized supercomputing, next-gen AI devices, and applications worldwide, promoting global collaboration and supporting emerging AI+Web3 developers, academic research, and open-source projects through transparent community-driven funding.
The Naai DePIN DAO Foundation and the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI) today announced the launch of a joint $100 million Global AI Research Initiative. This strategic partnership brings together a community-driven decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and a leading academic institution to advance AI research and innovation. The new fund will support research and development in critical areas such as AI computing infrastructure, next-generation intelligent agent devices, and AI applications. With a global scope, the initiative will unite industry, academia, and developers worldwide to accelerate innovation at the intersection of AI and Web3.
$100 Million Fund: A significant funding pool managed jointly by the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation and NAAI to drive R&D in AI computing infrastructure, intelligent agent devices, and AI-driven applications.
Global Scope: Open to participants around the world, the initiative will sponsor academic conferences, developer hackathons, and community meetups across continents to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Community Grants and Subsidies: Offers grants and budget subsidies for qualified community members, including emerging AI+Web3 developers, researchers, and open-source contributors.
Access to Advanced Infrastructure: Funded projects gain access to Naai DePIN’s decentralized supercomputing protocols and the NADI public blockchain network, providing advanced computing power and blockchain resources to accelerate development.
Transparent DAO Governance: Utilizes decentralized governance via DAO mechanisms and smart contracts, ensuring transparency, fairness, and community oversight.
Strategic Partnerships: Supported by infrastructure partners like NebulaTech, contributing high-performance computing resources to strengthen the initiative’s decentralized computing network.
Five-Year Vision: Aims to establish a decentralized global AI computing grid over the next five years, laying the groundwork for a worldwide network of AI computing resources accessible to all.
Advancing AI Infrastructure and Applications
By targeting investments in AI computing infrastructure, the initiative seeks to develop the next generation of platforms that can handle the growing computational demands of AI. This includes support for decentralized supercomputing projects that distribute AI workloads across a network of nodes, reducing reliance on centralized data centers. The fund also prioritizes next-generation intelligent agent devices – AI-powered devices and autonomous agents – enabling breakthroughs in robotics, IoT, and edge computing. Additionally, a broad range of AI applications will be supported, from advanced machine learning software to sector-specific AI solutions in areas like healthcare, finance, and education.
“This initiative is about building the backbone for the future of AI,” said Jane Miller, Executive Director of the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation. “By investing in open, decentralized infrastructure and cutting-edge AI projects, we can democratize access to computing power and accelerate innovations that were previously out of reach. We’re thrilled to partner with NAAI to unite the industry and academic communities in this effort, and to empower developers around the globe to push the boundaries of what intelligent systems can do.”
NebulaTech, a leading cloud and edge computing company, is one of the key infrastructure partners contributing to the project’s technical underpinnings. NebulaTech’s participation will bolster the initiative’s capacity to build a distributed computing environment optimized for AI workloads.
“As an infrastructure partner, we are excited to provide our expertise in decentralized cloud architecture to this global effort,” said David Li, Chief Technology Officer at NebulaTech. “Connecting our high-performance computing nodes to the Naai DePIN network will give researchers and innovators the computational horsepower they need — without the traditional barriers. Together, we’re creating a globally accessible supercomputing grid for AI that can scale as the community grows.”
Global Collaboration and Community Support
A core goal of the Global AI Research Initiative is to promote global collaboration in AI and Web3 development. To achieve this, the fund will sponsor a series of international academic conferences, developer hackathons, and community meetups. These events will be hosted across different regions, creating opportunities for researchers, engineers, and enthusiasts from around the world to share knowledge, form teams, and launch new projects. The emphasis on community-driven events reflects the partnership’s belief that innovation accelerates when diverse minds converge and collaborate openly.
To lower barriers for participation, the initiative provides budget subsidies and grants to qualified community members. For example, promising teams or individuals may receive travel support to attend conferences or stipends to participate in hackathons. Emerging developers working at the intersection of AI and blockchain (AI+Web3) can also apply for micro-grants to kick-start open-source projects or experimental research. “By investing in people – not just projects – we’re seeding a vibrant global community of innovators,” noted Dr. John Williams, President of NAAI. “The National Academy of Artificial Intelligence is committed to nurturing talent and ideas wherever they arise. This joint fund enables students, independent developers, and researchers from all corners of the world to access resources and mentorship. We expect to see new collaborations form and fresh ideas take root as a direct result of the conferences and hackathons we’re supporting.”
Transparent DAO Governance
Transparency and community governance are foundational principles of the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation, and they carry over into how the new fund is managed. The entire initiative is governed by a decentralized autonomous organization model: decisions on grant allocations, project endorsements, and resource deployments are made through proposals and votes using smart contracts on the NADI public blockchain. This transparent governance framework means that stakeholders – including researchers, developers, and token holders in the community – have a direct say in guiding the initiative. Every funding decision is recorded on-chain, creating an open ledger of how resources are allocated and ensuring accountability at every step.
Smart contracts underpin the fund’s operations, automating disbursements and enforcing rules objectively without manual intervention. This approach minimizes bureaucracy and accelerates the pace of research and development, while upholding fairness and trust.
“Decentralized governance is a game-changer for initiatives like this,” added Miller of the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation. “It allows us to be agile and inclusive – tapping the collective wisdom of our community to make decisions – and it provides full transparency. Anyone can monitor how funds are being utilized, which builds trust and aligns everyone with the initiative’s success.”
Five-Year Vision: A Decentralized Global AI Computing Grid
The long-term vision behind the Global AI Research Initiative is to lay the groundwork for a decentralized global AI computing grid within the next five years. The partner organizations envision a world where researchers, companies, and communities can access vast pools of AI computing power as easily as tapping into a public utility – but powered by decentralized protocols rather than centralized providers. By funding projects that contribute to this vision, such as open-source supercomputing frameworks, distributed AI training platforms, and secure data-sharing mechanisms, the initiative will steadily move toward an internet of AI compute resources.
Over the five-year span, the program plans to expand the network of participating nodes and partner data centers via NebulaTech and other contributors, scaling up both the capacity and geographic distribution of the computing grid. As breakthroughs emerge from funded research, the findings will be shared openly, amplifying their impact. “In five years, we aim to be well on our way to a planet-spanning network for AI computation,” said Dr. Williams of NAAI. “It’s an ambitious goal, but by combining the decentralized technology leadership of the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation with NAAI’s global research community, it’s within reach. We’re effectively crowdsourcing a supercomputer, one research grant at a time, to ensure AI innovation benefits everyone – not just a few large players.”
About Naai DePIN DAO Foundation
The Naai DePIN DAO Foundation is a community-driven foundation dedicated to advancing decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) for artificial intelligence computing. Through its DAO-governed funding programs and open-source projects, the foundation develops protocols that connect global computing resources via blockchain technology. The Naai DePIN ecosystem includes the NADI public blockchain, which facilitates transparent governance and coordination of distributed compute nodes. The Foundation’s mission is to democratize access to supercomputing power for AI development and to foster an inclusive, innovation-friendly environment for developers and researchers worldwide.
About National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI)
The National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI) is an international institution committed to promoting excellence in AI research, education, and collaboration. Bringing together leading scientists, engineers, and thinkers in the field of artificial intelligence, NAAI serves as a platform for sharing knowledge and recognizing outstanding contributions to AI. The Academy organizes global conferences, publishes research, and provides guidance on AI policy and ethics. By partnering with industry and community initiatives like the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation, NAAI strives to bridge academia and real-world application, ensuring that AI advancements are developed responsibly and for the benefit of all.
For more information about the Global AI Research Initiative and how to get involved, please visit the Naai DePIN DAO Foundation website or NAAI’s official site.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.
