Paradigm Fuels $1B Valuation for New Decentralized AI Project on Solana
Paradigm, a major venture capital player in the crypto space, is reportedly backing a new decentralized AI project on Solana with a hefty investment.
According to Fortune, the firm is injecting nearly $50 million into Nous Research, an AI startup now valued at around $1 billion.
Nous Research aims to challenge established AI giants like OpenAI by developing open-source language models — but with a decentralized twist. Instead of relying on massive centralized data centers, the project plans to tap into idle computing power from users across the world, offering a new model for training AI systems.
Co-founder Karan Malhotra, who collaborated with a former OpenAI founding member, told Fortune that crypto incentives would play a crucial role in encouraging people to contribute their spare computing resources.
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Rather than framing it as a donation, Malhotra views it as a transactional system where participants are fairly rewarded for their contributions.
While Nous is building on Solana’s blockchain infrastructure, many of the project’s finer details remain under wraps, including when the platform will launch or whether rewards for users will be paid out in SOL.
For now, the startup is focused on building a research-driven foundation to power what it sees as a more democratic and scalable approach to AI development.
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