DePIN 不需要新的基础设施

去中心化互联网的概念并不新鲜。Hyphanet 和 Tor 等项目是创建去中心化网络的早期尝试。最近，基于区块链的计划如 IPFS（星际文件系统）和 Filecoin 应运而生。然而，这些努力面临着重大挑战。主要障碍是需要广泛的物理基础设施 - 服务器、路由器和高带宽连接 - 以匹配传统互联网服务提供商的稳健性和速度。

这篇专栏文章是 CoinDesk 新推出的 DePIN Vertical 的一部分，涵盖了去中心化物理基础设施的新兴行业。

人们经常忽视的是我们已经拥有的网络，而这种网络可以为全球网络的使用和支持方式带来一场大规模革命。最重要的是，我们不需要再考虑口袋里的其他设备了。

当今的互联网

我们所熟知的互联网大部分都建立在大型科技公司拥有的传统集中式服务器上。然而，2024 年，一种新的模式正在兴起。

去中心化物理基础设施网络 (DePIN) 是基于区块链的数据管理系统，是现有架构的替代方案。尽管它们之间存在差异，但它们仍为计算能力和现实世界信息等基本服务提供可比的结果。这是因为 DePIN 网络使用加密货币补偿形式的激励措施来实现与传统基础设施一样有效甚至更有效的众包基础设施。

众包基础设施并不是一个全新的概念，但在很多情况下，这些系统的去中心化程度存在一个限制因素。这是因为它们通常需要设置和维护特定的昂贵硬件才能参与网络。这一障碍限制了真正参与的人数或企业数量，同时也鼓励鲸鱼建立中心化农场，最终导致与我们现在的情况相差无几的局面。

阅读更多：Scott Foo - 欢迎来到 DePIN 夏季活动

好消息是，情况不必一直如此。如果我们利用大多数人口袋里已有的处理能力和去中心化基础设施，而不是让潜在用户购买新硬件，会怎么样？有了这样的模型，网络将允许任何人利用他们的智能手机或类似设备来协助运行节点。如果构建正确，这可以为 DePIN 服务的运行提供足够的资源，同时产生贡献奖励池，以继续激励参与和增长。

我们已经有了设备

In 2023, it was estimated that about 69% of the world’s population already used smartphones to access the internet. This number is expected to grow, with these devices getting more powerful each year. Collectively, they can provide the raw processing power to allow for a new type of content delivery network that powers the information superhighway. Not only does this take control of these services away from major companies, but it also stands to solve issues plaguing the current internet, such as downtime.

APhone demonstrates this concept by transforming any smart device into a Web3 smartphone through a browser-based application. It utilizes Aethir's decentralized cloud technology to provide computational power by distributing processing tasks across a network, allowing users to access increased GPU capabilities, expanded storage, and additional RAM without overburdening their local hardware. This enables any device to function as a virtual smartphone, capable of running resource-intensive applications and storing large amounts of data independently of the physical device's limitations.

DePINs would be almost impossible to take down, as they would be formed by a globally distributed network of nodes and operators. This would mean essential services couldn’t be easily taken offline, centralized, or censored, due to attack or human error, improving data availability for all the apps built on them.

Read more: Max Thake - DePIN: It's Time for Crypto to Get Real

DePINs expand inclusivity. What this means is the barrier to entry would become so low that virtually anyone in the world could get involved. Almost everyone in the world can afford some form of smartphone, and more importantly, they aren’t buying them with an expectation of a return. With this technology, individuals and companies could utilize their spare processing power and be compensated for doing so. Instead of a handful of data giants making all the money from providing services, now that revenue would be much more equitably spread across everyone supporting the network. The infrastructure is already in place, all that needs to happen is a software upgrade.

The future is DePIN

We are right at the beginning of this paradigm shift. Multiple DePIN projects are being developed and will soon gain traction, creating a feedback loop as the benefits of this technology become more widely understood. According to a 2023 report from Messari, the market potential for DePIN stood at an estimated $2.2 trillion last year and is projected to go as high as $3.5 trillion by 2028. There’s every reason to believe this space has sustainable momentum.

在不久的将来，我们可以看到一个去中心化的互联网，它由我们每天用来访问互联网的设备提供支持。在这种情况下，所有用户只要参与这个解决方案，就能获得基本的被动收入。这可能会彻底改变互联网对普通人的意义，让每个人都在网络中拥有特定的利益，同时从大公司手中夺取控制权。

DePIN 是一个非常年轻的新技术分支。现在说它在未来几年的采用情况如何还为时过早。重要的是要意识到，很多基础工作已经到位。没有必要“重新发明轮子”，只需利用现有的资源即可。

利用已渗透全球各个文化的智能手机网络，将实现一种全新、公平、有弹性的互联网形式。所需要的只是广泛采用一种利用众包基础设施的基于软件的解决方案。看起来这可能指日可待。

注意：本专栏中表达的观点为作者的观点，并不一定反映 CoinDesk, Inc. 或其所有者和附属公司的观点。

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