Imagine tapping into advanced AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google without entering your credit card details. NEAR Protocol just made that possible with a fresh payment approach: lock up NEAR tokens to get monthly AI compute credits.
Here’s how it works. Instead of a typical subscription where you pay and lose funds each month, NEAR users stake their tokens meaning they lock them up as a way to prepay for AI services. The amount staked determines how many compute credits they get for the month. If you need more AI power, simply increase your stake. Want to scale down or cash out? You can reduce or fully unstake your tokens anytime, and your locked NEAR returns to you.
This staking-for-AI-usage model eliminates the hassle of managing cloud billing accounts or storing payment credentials. Plus, it’s one of the first setups allowing confidential AI inference and always-on autonomous agents directly via blockchain staking. NEAR calls it a blend where the tokens you hold fuel the AI you run, all without a credit card in sight.
Currently, this system covers all 43 AI models offered on NEAR AI. By staking tokens, you gain access to a range of services securely and flexibly. This launch also marks another step in NEAR’s push to add real utility to its staking ecosystem, following previous moves like the institutional staking fund and upgrades to curb token inflation.
By introducing this model, NEAR makes AI compute more accessible for users who prefer decentralized finance methods over traditional payment systems.
This article provides information only and does not serve as financial advice.
