tl;dr
Gradient Network raised $10 million in seed funding led by Pantera Capital and Multicoin Capital to develop decentralized AI infrastructure protocols called Lattica and Parallax. Based in Singapore, the company aims to enable AI models to run across distributed devices rather than centralized data c...
Gradient Network has successfully raised $10 million in seed funding to develop innovative decentralized AI infrastructure protocols called Lattica and Parallax. Based in Singapore, the startup aims to transform how AI models operate by enabling them to run across a distributed network of devices rather than relying on centralized data centers, addressing key concerns around privacy and computational concentration.
Lattica serves as a peer-to-peer data communication protocol that facilitates device-to-device information transfer without involving central servers, similar to technologies like Bitcoin or Torrent. Impressively, the protocol has already supported more than 1.6 billion connections globally across over 190 regions through its network of “Sentry Nodes.” This decentralized plumbing moves data directly among devices, reducing bottlenecks and single points of failure.
Parallax complements Lattica by enabling large AI models to be split into smaller parts that run simultaneously across multiple devices. This approach allows AI computations to happen locally on users’ devices—such as smartphones and computers—instead of sending data back to centralized server farms owned by tech giants. By distributing processing tasks, Parallax helps reduce reliance on massive data centers and enhances data privacy, while potentially cutting costs compared to traditional cloud infrastructures.
Operating atop the Solana blockchain, Gradient Network leverages its high transaction speed and low fees to coordinate the distributed computing tasks and facilitate payments to devices contributing processing power. This blockchain layer is vital for managing the network’s trust and incentive mechanisms.
Gradient Network enters a competitive decentralized AI landscape alongside players like SingularityNET, Superintelligence Alliance, Bittensor, and Gensyn. All share the mission to revolutionize AI infrastructure by decentralizing control and enabling broader participation. Looking ahead, Gradient plans to launch additional protocols, publish research findings, and cultivate a developer community eager to contribute to this open and collaborative ecosystem.
As the AI industry grapples with data privacy concerns and the dominance of a few tech giants controlling vast computational resources, Gradient Network’s novel approach offers a promising alternative. By tapping into unused processing power worldwide, the company envisions a global, crowdsourced supercomputer fueling AI innovation with enhanced privacy, reduced costs, and democratized access.