The AI super cycle is driving a computing power shortage, with Render, Bittensor, and others becoming the main beneficiaries

ME AI News: With demand for artificial intelligence model training and inference surging, global high-performance GPU supply remains tight, and NVIDIA’s high-end chip delivery timelines have been extended to several dozen weeks. Market analysis suggests that crypto projects capable of integrating idle computing power and delivering decentralized GPU services are poised to become major beneficiaries during the AI computing expansion cycle. Currently, the most closely watched cryptocurrency projects include:
· Render (RENDER): Originally focused on rendering computation, it has since expanded into AI inference and links compute demand with token value through a Burn-and-Mint mechanism.
· Akash Network (AKT): A decentralized cloud computing platform; in Q1 2026, computing expenditure hit a new high of 5 million dollars, providing low-cost GPU rental services for AI enterprises.
· io.net (IO): Aggregates tens of thousands of GPUs worldwide, claiming it can reduce AI compute costs by up to 70%, and has become an important infrastructure project in the DePIN AI track.
· Bittensor (TAO): Builds a decentralized AI network by incentivizing contributors of models, data, and computing power through a “smart proof” mechanism.

Analysts believe that, as AI agents, autonomous intelligences, and inference demand grow rapidly, decentralized compute networks are expected to take on some of the needs that traditional cloud providers are unable to meet. Compared with centralized services such as AWS and Azure, these platforms typically offer a 50% to 90% cost advantage, and attract global idle GPU resources into the network through token incentives. (Source: BlockBeats)