The DePIN industry is thriving on Solana, and ordinary people can also participate in making money.

The decentralized physical infrastructure network ( DePIN ) is rapidly rising, becoming a bridge for bringing real-world assets on-chain. Whether it's shared GPUs, telecommunications networks, or street map collection, DePIN reshapes the construction and operation of infrastructure through cryptographic incentive mechanisms. Solana is gradually becoming the core platform of this trend, providing an ideal expansion soil for DePIN projects with its high-performance network.

The Concept of DePIN and the Advantages of Solana

DePIN is an innovative model that uses cryptocurrency incentive mechanisms to initiate and operate real-world infrastructure. These projects typically target markets with strong demand but inefficient supply, activating idle resources. Unlike traditional infrastructure models dominated by large enterprises, DePIN allocates ownership to individuals, thereby improving efficiency, enhancing resilience, and expanding accessibility.

Solana, with its high throughput, low transaction fees, and composable infrastructure, has become an ideal platform for the transparent scaling of DePIN applications. Its thriving ecosystem and strong developer community are making it a hub in this emerging field.

DePIN Market Overview

As of April 2025, the total chain market value of global DePIN projects has reached 7.1 billion USD, with the DePIN projects on Solana having a total market value of 3.25 billion USD, leading other blockchain platforms. Calculating the average market value per project, Solana leads again with 191.3 million USD.

The DePIN project is mainly divided into five categories: computing, wireless, sensors, servers, and AI. Among them, the computing and wireless categories together account for 93.4% of the market share and also have the highest average market value.

As of April 22, 2025, the total number of registered on-chain nodes for DePIN projects on Solana has reached 238,165. In terms of node growth, Helium accounts for over 60% of the new node share. The total on-chain revenue for DePIN projects on Solana has reached $5.98 million, showing a steady growth trend.

Main Project Analysis

1. Helium: The leader of decentralized wireless networks

Helium is a decentralized wireless network that enables individuals to deploy hotspots and provide low-cost, secure connectivity for IoT and mobile devices. Users earn HNT token rewards by expanding coverage and routing data.

Key Data:

• Total subscribed users: 176,301
• Total nodes: 69,449
• Total on-chain revenue: 2.29 million USD

2. Hivemapper: Decentralized Mapping Network

Hivemapper is a decentralized, community-driven map network where users collect street-level images using dash cameras to earn HONEY token rewards.

Key Data:

• Total number of nodes: 77,483
• Weekly rewards: Over $60,000 HONEY

3. Render: Decentralized GPU Rendering Network

Render Network is a high-performance distributed GPU rendering network that facilitates a computing marketplace between GPU providers and requesters using industry-leading software from OTOY Inc.

Key Data:

• Active on-chain nodes: 3,784
• Burned RENDER tokens: over 121 million
• Tokens distributed to node operators: over 2.4 million

4. Nosana: Decentralized AI Computing Network

Nosana is a decentralized computing network where users can run AI inference tasks through a global grid of GPU hosts.

Key Data:

• Global nodes: over 4,200
• Daily active nodes: Increased from an average of 300 in 2024 to over 600 in 2025

5. UpRock: Mobile-first data intelligent network

UpRock is a decentralized data intelligence network driven by a mobile-first DePIN model. Users can share unused internet bandwidth and computing power through the UpRock app, transforming everyday devices into passive data contributors, and thereby earning $UPT tokens.

Conclusion and Key Insights

• Solana has become the leading chain for DePIN, with a total market value of 3.25 billion dollars.
• On-chain activities demonstrate the actual value of DePIN, with multiple projects generating nearly $6 million in on-chain network revenue.
• Computing and wireless categories lead the market share in the Solana DePIN field, totaling 93.4%.
• Node growth and service adoption accelerate, with multiple projects continuously expanding their contributor base.
• Despite having practical applications, DePIN remains one of the hardest areas in crypto to track on-chain activities, with fully transparent and consistent on-chain measurements still ongoing.