Will the AI track take off in the second half of 2026? Sharing allocation ideas for $TAO and $RENDER

July 1, the first day of the second half! If the first half was dominated by sentiment and MEME, then the AI value track is gradually returning in the second half.
Today, let's talk about two AI infrastructure projects I focus on: Bittensor ($TAO ) and Render ($RENDER ).
1. TAO: The "underlying protocol" of decentralized AI. TAO creates an open AI model marketplace through a subnet mechanism, making it the most representative project in the decentralized AI field. Latest observations: Experienced subnet governance volatility in the first half, but the ecosystem continues to iterate. After spot listing, trading convenience improved. The market is paying attention to the impact of mechanism optimizations like Root Reborn on liquidity. Current price is around the $195-205 range, with some funds gradually positioning during pullbacks. In the long term, TAO remains one of the core targets of the decentralized AI track.
2. RENDER: A major player in on-chain AI computing power. RENDER (Solana chain) focuses on decentralized GPU computing networks, and has expanded from early rendering business to AI computing power. Latest observations: Migration to Solana completed, with liquidity of the old RNDR continuing to decline. By integrating resources like Salad, the network's computing power scale has significantly increased. If the Q3 Compute Subnet is successfully launched, AI training scenarios will be further expanded. Current price is around $1.46-1.54, offering certain allocation value relative to the long-term growth of AI computing power demand.
3. Reference for allocation ideas in the second half of 2026: Base position: Allocate part of RENDER to participate in the deterministic opportunities of AI computing power and DePIN.
Aggressive position: Focus on TAO to bet on the growth space of the decentralized AI ecosystem.
Position management: It is recommended to adopt a batch strategy to avoid heavy positions in a single target. Apart from the two relatively mature projects TAO and RENDER, I will also continue to pay attention to early AI ecosystem and computing power projects newly listed on Gate Startup and the Innovation Zone in the second half of the year. Their elasticity is usually greater, suitable for players with a certain risk tolerance to make small position allocations.
Risk reminder: The AI track is highly volatile, with risks in technology, competition, regulation, and other aspects.
The above is only personal observation and sharing, not investment advice. Please conduct your own research and risk management.