DePIN
Decentralised Physical Infrastructure Network — networks of real-world hardware (Wi-Fi, GPS, GPU) that reward participants in tokens for contribution. On TON, the category is nascent as of May 2026.
Aliases: depin, decentralised physical infrastructure
DePIN (Decentralised Physical Infrastructure Network) is a Web3 category in which physical hardware — Wi-Fi access points, GPS nodes, GPU clusters, storage drives — is owned by distributed operators while the blockchain orchestrates rewards for their work.
Classic examples
- Helium — decentralised LoRaWAN and 5G.
- Hivemapper — maps built from drivers with dashcams.
- Render Network — distributed GPU rendering.
- Filecoin / Arweave — data storage.
DePIN on TON
As of May 2026:
- TON Storage — decentralised storage, the closest analogue inside the ecosystem.
- TON Proxy — Tor-like anonymous network.
- No Helium-equivalent for physical hotspots on TON yet.
Telegram distribution gives TON an edge in software-DePIN (agents, mini-app networks), but hardware-DePIN requires bootstrapping physical devices — a different investment model.
DePIN on TON: are there projects in 2026 — detailed overview.