DePIN Projects on Solana: From Shared Computing Power to Street View Maps, Exploring Passive Income for Ordinary Users

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network ( DePIN ) is rapidly rising, becoming a bridge for real-world assets to go on-chain. Whether it is shared GPU, mobile networks, or street view map collection, DePIN is reshaping the construction and operation of infrastructure through cryptographic incentive mechanisms. Solana, with its high-performance network, is gradually becoming the core platform of this trend.

This article provides an in-depth analysis based on the latest research report, focusing on the development status, market performance, and on-chain data of several core DePIN projects on Solana, offering us a clear picture of this emerging ecosystem and revealing the real and verifiable growth trajectory behind it.

The Concept of DePIN and the Advantages of Solana

What is DePIN?

DePIN utilizes cryptocurrency incentive mechanisms to launch and operate real-world infrastructure. These projects typically target markets with strong demand but inefficient supply, activating idle resources ( such as idle GPUs, wireless bandwidth, etc. Unlike the traditional infrastructure model dominated by large enterprises, DePIN allocates ownership to individuals, thereby improving efficiency, enhancing resilience, and expanding accessibility.

) Why choose Solana?

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 the center of this emerging field.

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DePIN Market Overview

As of April 2025, the total market capitalization of global DePIN projects has reached $7.1 billion, with the total market capitalization of DePIN projects on Solana amounting to $3.25 billion, leading other blockchain platforms. Calculating the average market capitalization per project, Solana leads again with $191.3 million.

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) Project Category Distribution

DePIN projects are mainly divided into five categories:

• Computing Power: Accounts for 71.2% of the market share, providing decentralized processing capability, GPU, and computing infrastructure.
• Wireless: 22.2% market share, providing community-driven wireless and mobile access networks.
• Sensor: Collects real-world data through distributed sensing devices
• Server: Provides distributed cloud and storage servers
• AI: Supports a decentralized network for AI data generation, labeling, or robotics technology.

Computing and wireless categories together account for 93.4% of the market share, and they also have the highest average market capitalization.

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) Node Growth and Network Participation

As of April 22, 2025, the total number of registered on-chain nodes for DePIN projects on Solana has reached 238,165. Helium quickly surpassed other projects after launching Helium Mobile, now accounting for over 60% of new node share.

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) On-chain Network Income

As of April 22, 2025, the total on-chain revenue of DePIN projects on Solana has reached 5.98 million USD. The revenue from DePIN projects on Solana has steadily increased, growing from about 4,000 USD per week in April 2023 to over 100,000 USD per week at the beginning of 2025. Helium is the highest earner each week, reaching 60,000 USD with a 16% share, while Render leads in total revenue with 2.65 million USD.

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Major 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 the Internet of Things and mobile devices.

Key Data:

• Total subscribed users: 176,301
• Total Node Count: 69,449
• Total On-Chain Revenue: $2.29 million

The growth of Helium's subscription users is influenced by clear product-driven inflection points, such as the official launch of Helium Mobile and the introduction of the Zero Plan. The composition of nodes shows a constantly changing trend, with a particularly strong growth in the mobile data dedicated category.

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) 2. Hivemapper: Decentralized Map Network

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

Key Data:

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

As of April 2025, the network has 77,483 nodes, most of which are active in AI training and bounty activities. Hivemapper earns revenue by selling Map Credits, which are purchased by burning HONEY tokens to access map data.

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) 3. Render: Decentralized GPU Rendering Network

The 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
• RENDER tokens burned: over 121 million
• Tokens distributed to node operators: over 2.4 million

Render Network allows anyone with idle GPU capacity to become a node operator and contribute computing power for decentralized rendering and AI infrastructure.

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) 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 Node Count: Over 4,200
• Daily Active Nodes: Increased from an average of 300 in 2024 to over 600 in 2025

In January 2025, Nosana officially launched its decentralized GPU market to the public, resulting in a significant increase in node activity. Over 4,200 nodes have joined globally, demonstrating scalability and sustained activity.

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) 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.

UpRock monetizes through SaaS subscriptions and pay-per-use APIs, with a portion of the revenue used for on-chain $UPT token buybacks, providing funding for contributor rewards and strengthening the ecosystem.

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Conclusion and Key Insights

• Solana occupies a leading position in the DePIN field, with a total market value of DePIN projects reaching 3.25 billion USD.
• On-chain activities prove the actual value of DePIN, with multiple projects generating nearly 6 million USD in on-chain network revenue.
• Computing and wireless categories dominate the market, accounting for 93.4% of the market share.
• Node growth and service adoption accelerated, with multiple projects showing strong user and node growth.
• The transparency challenge still exists, and fully transparent and consistent on-chain measurements are still underway.