The next crypto wave could be super simple - selling AI inference

Why crypto?
> permissionless supply onboarding (better models now being run on modest hw)
> stablecoin micropayments per token (good for agentic apps)
> marketplaces for models the big labs will never host (uncensored, privacy, etc)
> token incentives to bootstrap customer acquisition
@venice / $VVV is the cleanest current expression of this, pmf is hard to deny
What’s converging:
> inference demand is going parabolic with no signs of slowing, room for many players
> specialized and fine-tuned models are exploding - a long tail the frontier labs won’t ever ship
> $5-15k consumer rigs can now run serious quantized models in the 70-200B range - opening the supply side to prosumers, similar to the early ASIC window before mining centralized
> stablecoin rails finally make per-token pricing work and are a perfect fit for agentic apps
> huge opportunity for verifiable inference - did you get the model you paid for or did the provider nerf you?
What would kill this thesis:
> hyperscalers driving inference prices below decentralized unit economics
> frontier quality outrunning what prosumer hardware can serve
The one assumption you have to believe is that the marginal buyer is real - this can’t be based on fake demand hiding behind token subsidies
The initial marginal buyers are likely builders and tech-savvy consumers who want uncensored models, privacy-preserving inference, or specialized fine-tunes at usage-based pricing
This is a worthy TAM and one that is likely to grow considerably
Put it all together and AI inference is a perfect use case for crypto