Blog Series: Web3 x AI Ecosystems

Emerging Companies Shaping the Intersection of Web3 x AI -– Abdul Al Ali, Venture Investor and Eugene Tsai, Venture Data Analyst at Decasonic 

Web3 x AI is emerging as a new category in Web3. The overall market went through four main phases of “evolution,” prior to reaching its current state. The first emergence was the decentralized marketplaces (data and compute), dominated by Akash and Ocean Protocol. The second phase was kicked off by Bittensor ($TAO), with decentralized compute, data, and model layers. Phase 3 led with strength in Q3 and Q4 of 2024, primarily with AI Agent launchpads (re: Virtuals). We are currently in the fourth phase of Web3 x AI, where key market category leaders are set to emerge.

The excitement surrounding Web3 x AI was further highlighted at Token2049, where conversations regarding AI dominated the scene. Whether it came in the form of AI integration in traditional Web3 sectors: DeFi, Infrastructure, SocialFi, GameFi and others, or it came from companies and founders aiming to redefine the intersection - the conversation overall was energizing. At Decasonic, we view the Web3 x AI market landscape through five layers: Compute, Model, Data, Interface, and Application Layers. When we revisit our market map published in Q4 2024, we realize the growth and overall relative phase of market maturity since, with a growth in the number of projects, founders, and innovators aiming to capture distribution and market share in the overall Web3 x AI market. With the rapid pace of growth of this intersection, we are excited to kick off our Web3 x AI blog series focused on highlighting the state of Web3 x AI across key ecosystems. 

Over the upcoming blogs, we will dive into the following chains: Base, Sui, Solana, Bittensor, Near, and BSC (BNB). Those six ecosystems are part of our Phase 1 ecosystem series, and we will continue to explore future ecosystems in Phase 2 and beyond. This series focuses on highlighting ecosystems and projects currently operating in, and aiming to be market leaders at the intersection of Web3 x AI in their respective ecosystems. 

Defining the Intersection

The Web3 x AI intersection has been underpinned by the implementation of decentralization and open-source. Open-source has long been championed by the community of founders, including ElizaOS with their open-source, collaborative agentic framework. The nature of the open-source ecosystem in Web3 for AI has cascaded into Web2, with the influence in companies like DeepSeek, and OpenAI (model to be released in the summer). 

The difference between Web2 and Web3 open-source models (and infrastructure) for AI often stems in tokenization. Tokens enable ownership of the underlying product and the subsequent output, with tokens stemming as the core alignment between the developers, users, and owners. Tokenization enables distribution and compounds network effects. The introduction and use of tokens further allows for lone-developers or oftentimes web2 developers to have the financial means and the capabilities to potentially benefit from their development, encouraging  developer flywheel effect. A project’s success, defined through core metrics and usage can also be reflected in its token’s price and distribution, which increases the visibility of the project and contributes to its overall success trajectory. 

In light of this and prior to introducing our ecosystem market map, we are going to define a few use cases we are seeing at the intersection of Web3 x AI. Those include: Decentralized training, AI-powered decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols optimize trading strategies and risk management, referred to as “AI x DeFi” or DeFAI. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) integrated with generative AI produce dynamic, user-driven digital assets. What excites us the most at Decasonic is the emergence of Web3 Consumer AI Applications and Interfaces. This area is yet to emerge, and is one where we see rapid advancements in growth and innovation. 

The Six Ecosystems Leading the Web3 x AI Supercycle

Base

Base, launched by Coinbase in August 2023 as an Ethereum Layer-2 solution, leverages the Optimism OP Stack to offer near-zero gas fees, fast transactions, and Ethereum’s security. Its integration with Coinbase’s ecosystem makes it accessible for developers building Web3 x AI projects on Base, fueled by investments Coinbase has made in their Web3 x AI ecosystem. 

Key metrics include: Base handled 600 million transactions in 2024, with 300,000 daily active users and a TVL of $2.5 billion. Web3 x AI projects in Base we are monitoring include: Freysa AI, Senpi, and Virtuals. Freysa delivers a decentralized AI Agent infrastructure designed with modularity and privacy at its core, tailored for seamless on-chain interactions. Senpi centers its value around AI-powered DeFi strategies, enriched by a social graph layer that equips users with a personalized ‘AI edge’ in dynamic market environments. Virtuals introduces a foundational AI protocol for deploying AI Agents, with a forward-looking ACP framework aimed at enabling Agentic Commerce at scale.

Sui

Sui, a Layer-1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, is designed for speed, scalability, and developer-friendliness, making it ideal for deploying AI agents, autonomous, tokenized programs that perform tasks like trading or data analysis. Sui’s Move programming language and Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based consensus enable high transaction throughput (up to 297,000 TPS theoretically) instant finality, supporting AI-driven applications in GameFi, DeFi, and SocialFi. 

Sui processed 200 million transactions in 2024, with a market cap of $4 billion for SUI tokens and over 150 dApps, 20% of which integrate AI agents. Its developer base grew by 40% in 2024, fueled by the SuiHub Accelerator. AI Projects emerging on SUI include Walrus, Atoma, and Talus Network. Walrus powers a decentralized storage layer optimized for AI-specific tasks and computational workloads, offering scalable data availability for intelligent systems. Atoma serves as a decentralized inference engine, positioned as the hyperscaler for open-source AI, streamlining model deployment across distributed networks. Talus introduces a purpose-built blockchain architecture tailored for decentralized AI Agents, enabling native coordination, execution, and value transfer within autonomous agent ecosystems.

Solana

Solana’s high-throughput blockchain, capable of processing over 65,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality, is a powerhouse for AI dApps. Its low-cost transactions and parallel processing via Sealevel make it ideal for real-time AI use cases, such as on-chain inference or AI x GameFi. 

AI projects on Solana include: Projects like Render Network, which enables a decentralized GPU compute marketplace. Other projects also include Arc, offering a framework and marketplace for Rust-based AI Agents, alongside ElizaOS, referred to as the operating system for AI Agents (formerly known as AI16Z). 

TAO (Bittensor)

TAO, the native token of Bittensor, powers a decentralized network for (often) model and data application deployment. Bittensor incentivizes a global network of nodes to contribute computational resources, datasets, and machine learning models, creating a peer-to-peer marketplace for AI. Bittensor is composed of a network of subnets, with each subnet receiving emissions based on their usage, creating highly efficient, usable, and useful subnets. As of May 2025, the Bittensor network hosts over 100 subnets, with new ones launching approximately every two days. These subnets are specialized partitions, each focusing on specific AI tasks such as price prediction, inference, training, and data access. 

Metrics wise, TAO’s market cap reached $3.5 billion in Q1 2025, with over 10,000 active nodes contributing to its network and 50+ AI models listed in its marketplace. Three of the highest emission subnets by usage include: Chutes (decentralized AI Inference), Gradients (AI model training and gradient computation), Targon (throughput AI inference), and BitMind (advanced deepfake detection model). 

NEAR

NEAR Protocol’s sharded, developer-centric blockchain offers scalability and usability, making it a key home for founders building AI dApps and projects. With features like human-readable account names and low transaction costs, NEAR lowers barriers for developers integrating AI into Web3 applications. Its Nightshade sharding and Aurora layer (EVM-compatible) support projects exploring AI for decentralized identity, governance, and data analytics. Key metrics for the network include, recording 800 million transactions in 2024, with 500,000 daily active wallets and a market cap of $6 billion for $NEAR. NEAR’s developer community grew by 25% year-over-year, with over 200 AI-related dApps in development. 

Web3 x AI Projects building on NEAR include: Satori, Mintbase AI, and Aurora AI. Satori is developing a decentralized, AI-native prediction marketplace that leverages intelligence for market forecasting and signal generation. Mintbase is weaving AI into its NFT infrastructure, enabling dynamic metadata creation and personalized content recommendations across its platform. Aurora AI brings advanced data analytics and machine learning capabilities to dApps, empowering developers with deeper insights and adaptive user experiences.

Binance Smart Chain (BSC)

Binance Smart Chain provides a high-throughput, low-cost alternative to Ethereum, making it a hub for AI-integrated DeFi, NFTs, and gaming projects. Its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility enables seamless deployment of AI-driven smart contracts, such as those for market prediction or dynamic NFT creation. Projects like PancakeSwap leverage AI for yield optimization, while BSC’s affordability attracts startups building AI-powered dApps. BSC processed 4 billion transactions in 2024, with 2 million daily active wallet addresses. 

Over 3,000 dApps operate on BSC, with ~15% incorporating AI features. Three projects powering the Web3 x AI intersection on BSC include: SingularityNet, MyShell , and Hooked Protocol. Singularity offers a decentralized AI marketplace designed for the discovery, purchase, and deployment of AI services across networks. DeepBrain provides a decentralized GPU compute platform, optimized for AI workloads and accessible infrastructure at scale. Hooked is developing an AI-powered GameFi platform focused on Web3 education, blending interactive learning with tokenized incentives and gameplay mechanics.

Road Ahead

We will dive into each of the ecosystems highlighted above, applying our five layer AI stack for each of the six ecosystems. 

Our edge comes in specialization. To date, we have seen hundreds of projects aiming to be market category leaders at the intersection of Web3 x AI. We are proud to highlight founders aiming to redefine the market - and advance the innovation in this space forward. Our first ecosystem market map will be Base. 

The content of this material is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute investment advice, nor should it be considered a recommendation or a solicitation to buy, sell, or hold any asset. Decasonic does not endorse investments in any specific tokens, and nothing in these blog posts should be construed as legal, tax, or financial advice. Please consult with a qualified professional advisor before making any financial decisions. Decasonic provides no warranties, whether expressed or implied, on the content provided in these blog posts, including its accuracy, completeness, or correctness. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Decasonic. Please note that Decasonic may hold a position in some of the tokens mentioned, including Virtuals. Decasonic is not liable for any errors or omissions in the content of this material or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.