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Web3 x AI Market Map Series: NEAR Ecosystem

  • Writer: Decasonic
    Decasonic
  • 3 days ago
  • 8 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

AI x Web3 Ecosystem Series: NEAR Ecosystem Market Map -– Teresa Liang, Venture Investor at Decasonic 


We are excited to unveil the latest installment in our Web3 x AI Market Map series, shining a spotlight on the NEAR Protocol ecosystem.


NEAR is a high-performance Layer-1 blockchain engineered to advance the convergence of AI and decentralized technologies. Its architecture prioritizes rapid finality, minimal fees, and intuitive developer tools, establishing it as a premier protocol for AI-native Web3 applications.


With over 47 million monthly active users, NEAR has rapidly emerged as a leading protocol supporting the next generation of Web3 x AI applications. Its sharded design and high-throughput infrastructure facilitate seamless, private, and low-latency execution. By strategically combining cutting-edge infrastructure, user-centric design, and powerful partnerships, NEAR is actively building a decentralized ecosystem where AI-driven innovations and Web3 advancements can truly flourish.


This unique positioning of NEAR accelerates the fusion of AI and Web3, paving the way for autonomous agents, decentralized AI infrastructure, vibrant data marketplaces, and much more. This article will delve into NEAR's AI-centric features, its thriving ecosystem, and the transformative opportunities it creates for the evolving Web3 x AI landscape.


The Blockchain for AI: Founding Origins Rooted in Machine Learning & Vision for the Future



Co-founded by Illia Polosukhin and Alexander Skidanov, NEAR was designed to overcome the scalability and usability limitations of earlier blockchains. Illia, a former machine learning researcher at Google and co-author of the groundbreaking research paper “Attention Is All You Need”, which lays the foundation of today’s transformer models and large language models (LLMs).


Drawing on the co-founders’ experience in large-scale distributed systems, they set out to build a more performant, accessible blockchain that could support real-world AI coordination at scale. NEAR was designed to solve three core problems:


  1. Scalability – Architect a protocol capable of supporting billions of users and autonomous agents without congestion or fee spikes

  2. Usability – Simplify onboarding for non-crypto-native users, making Web3 intuitive and accessible

  3. Developer Experience – Enable developers to use familiar languages like JavaScript and Rust to build advanced, scalable applications


These principles continue to shape NEAR’s roadmap and ecosystem today. Furthermore, NEAR has formed strategic partnerships with NVIDIA, Google Cloud, and other technology providers to enhance its capabilities as a scalable, user-friendly blockchain optimized for decentralized AI infrastructure and intelligent agents.


Core Features of Near Enabling to AI x Web3


NEAR is designed as a vertically integrated execution stack for agentic, AI-native systems, spanning the capital, coordination, compute, and user interaction layers. Rather than functioning as a general-purpose chain, NEAR has architected a full-stack flow that supports autonomous agents and intelligent applications end to end.

Near Market Map

The Technology Stack of NEAR: 


  1. Capital Injection and Network Entry 


The system is powered by capital at the base layer, representing both onchain assets and economic incentives from various ecosystems (e.g., Bitcoin, Solana, Ethereum, Dogecoin, etc.). These assets enter NEAR through Chain Signatures and OmniBridge, forming the foundation for multichain liquidity and composable value routing. 


  1. Core Protocol Infrastructure: NEAR 


At the protocol layer, NEAR represents the core blockchain infrastructure. It features high throughput, sharding (specifically Nightshade sharding), and optimization for low latency, low cost execution. This is where smart contracts, transactions, and cross chain messages are settled. NEAR's advanced sharding and finality enable the real time responsiveness required by autonomous agents. 


  1. Intent Layer Coordination: NEAR Intents 


At the intent layer, NEAR Intents, often leveraged by projects like Defuse Labs, to coordinate various components for execution. This layer is crucial for managing complex interactions and ensuring seamless operation across different parts of the system by allowing users and AI agents to express desired outcomes, or intents, rather than specifying detailed transaction steps. Solvers then interpret and execute these intents. 


  1. Trusted Execution and Secure Compute 


Moving up the technology stack, NEAR integrates Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and offchain compute capabilities. This layer allows AI agents to operate with access to sensitive data and heavy computation, while still verifying outcomes onchain. It provides the verifiable, privacy preserving backbone needed for decentralized inference, model calls, and secure AI coordination.


  1. AI Agent Layer: NEAR AI and Application Framework 


Above Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) lies the NEAR AI layer, where autonomous agents and composable applications begin to interface with users and other agents. Projects at this layer benefit from NEAR's composable contract environment and agent friendly infrastructure. Examples include rebalancing agents, AI trading bots, decentralized assistants, intent based governance systems, and more. 


  1. Front End and User Interaction 


AI assistants and user-facing applications interact directly with users via third party decentralized applications (dApps). These interfaces abstract technical complexity, allowing users to interact with autonomous systems without needing to manage private keys, gas, or bridging. 


NEAR Web3 x AI Market Map (July 2025)


Our market map categorizes NEAR’s AI ecosystem across two axes:


X-Axis – Technology Layers: Compute → Data → Model → Interface → Application


Y-Axis – Target Audiences: Web3 Natives → Web3 Developers → Web3 Users →  Mainstream Audiences.


The market map below highlights NEAR’s various Web3 and AI projects, providing an overview of the ecosystem across technology layers and audience segments.


Note: This market map reflects a snapshot of a rapidly evolving ecosystem and is not exhaustive. It highlights key projects shaping the landscape, which will continue to develop in the coming quarters and years.


The Five Pillars of NEAR AI x Web3: Infrastructure


  1. Infrastructure Layer: The Infrastructure Layer forms the foundation of the NEAR AI x Web3 ecosystem, providing the core blockchain protocols, cloud environments, and decentralized networks necessary for secure and scalable AI-Web3 integration. It establishes the rules, consensus mechanisms, and native assets that enable the ecosystem to function efficiently.


  1. Model Layer: The Model Layer encompasses Web3 x AI models, such as large language models (LLMs) or decentralized LLMs (DeLLMs), that operate on decentralized networks, enabling secure and scalable AI computations.


  1. Data: The data layer provides the high-quality, decentralized datasets required to train and fine-tune AI models on the blockchain. 


  1. Compute: The Compute Layer provides the raw processing power (e.g., GPUs, TPUs) needed for AI tasks such as model training, fine-tuning, and inference.


  1. Interface: The Interface Layer (or middleware/service layer) facilitates seamless communication between infrastructure, models, and applications. It includes tools, APIs, SDKs, and frameworks to simplify development and enhance user experience.


  1. Application: The Application Layer is where user-facing applications leverage AI and Web3 to deliver specific use cases, such as decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), gaming, or autonomous agents.


Unlocking Opportunities: AI x Web3 on NEAR


NEAR is actively unlocking transformative opportunities for developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the AI x Web3 space, directly addressing existing gaps and enabling new, innovative solutions:


  • Scalable, Real-time AI Execution via Sharding: NEAR's Nightshade sharding and low-latency finality fill a critical whitespace with the ability to run advanced AI models and agent interactions directly on-chain at massive scale and with real-time responsiveness. This overcomes performance bottlenecks, enabling demanding use cases like real-time analytics, complex generative AI, and high-frequency AI agent coordination.


  • User-Owned AI & Data Economy via Chain Abstraction & Intents: NEAR's strong focus on Chain Abstraction and NEAR Intents carves out a significant opportunity for a truly user-empowered AI economy. This tackles the often-complex blockchain user experience. Users can express high-level "intents" for their AI agents, and NEAR's infrastructure handles the underlying cross-chain complexities. Examples include powering decentralized data marketplaces and fostering user-owned AI agents that can monetize their capabilities while prioritizing user control and privacy.


  • Verifiable and Private AI Compute with TEEs: The strategic integration of Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and privacy-preserving compute capabilities directly addresses the crucial need for verifiable and confidential AI operations on-chain. This is a vital whitespace for sensitive Web3 x AI applications, enabling the creation of secure AI models, verifiable inference, and a privacy-preserving backbone for complex, confidential data processing.


  • Seamless Cross-Chain AI Interaction via Chain Signatures: NEAR's Chain Signatures offer a unique capability for AI agents to interact directly with assets and protocols across other blockchains without cumbersome bridging. This eliminates a major friction point, opening doors for cross-sector dApps.


  • Developer-Centric AI Agent Development & Support: NEAR's Blockchain Operating System (BOS) and comprehensive developer tooling are specifically designed to lower the barrier to entry for Web3 x AI developers. This addresses the common pain point of complex Web3 development, leading to seamless AI agent deployment. Furthermore, the NEAR Foundation's various grants, accelerators, and developer resources create a supportive environment, enabling early-stage innovators to scale and succeed. 


Conclusion: Shaping the Web3 x AI Future with NEAR


NEAR Protocol is much more than just a Layer-1 blockchain. It's a pioneering force actively building the foundation for the Web3 x AI ecosystem. By integrating a scalable, sharded infrastructure, innovative decentralized Web3 x AI frameworks like NEAR Intents and TEEs, and a relentless focus on user-centric design, NEAR is not only driving the convergence of AI and blockchain but also enabling projects to be built with unprecedented efficiency, simplicity, and reliability.


With its thriving ecosystem, strategic partnerships, and commitment to achieving ambitious goals like 1 million transactions per second for AI agents, NEAR empowers developers and users to not just participate, but to actively shape a growing decentralized and AI-powered future. As the protocol continues its rapid evolution, its dedication to scalability, accessibility, and groundbreaking AI innovation will solidify its indispensable role as a leader in the Web3 x AI revolution.


At Decasonic, we are deeply committed to advancing and working alongside the visionary founders and innovators who are defining the intersection of Web3 and AI. As a Web3 x AI venture and digital assets fund, we believe in the transformative potential of this frontier.


If you are a founder with a groundbreaking AI x Web3 project, a potential founder exploring new ideas, or a partner investor looking to contribute to this rapidly evolving landscape, we want to hear from you.


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.



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