Nicholas Zaldastani Discusses Blockchain's Impact on Data Ownership and Security

In the fourth quarter, Helium's native token, HNT, experienced a significant decline, with its circulating market capitalization dropping from $1.3 billion to $1.0 billion, marking a 20% quarter-over-quarter decrease. The token's price also fell by 22%, decreasing from $7.54 to $5.88. Despite this downturn in the market, the Helium network continued to expand, particularly in the area of hotspot adoption. According to a report from Messari, Helium Mobile's number of hotspots grew by 14% QoQ, reaching 24,800 from 21,800. The service's unlimited plans remain competitively priced compared to traditional telecom providers in the US, and the introduction of the Discovery Mapping feature has incentivized users to share location data, although rewards have recently shifted from HNT to Cloud Points. During the recent Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, Helium Mobile showcased its utility by maintaining operational hotspots that provided 5G coverage while many were left without electricity or water. The team also took proactive measures by distributing emergency kits, including Starlink devices, to assist affected communities. In addition to Helium Mobile, the IoT network also saw a 20% increase in hotspots during Q4, with a total of over 375,000 hotspots onboarded since migrating to Solana in early 2023. However, despite rapid infrastructure growth, demand has not yet caught up, as evidenced by low daily data credits (DC) usage. Helium has faced controversies in the past, including allegations that its founders hoarded a significant portion of early token rewards, with insiders reportedly mining millions of HNT tokens worth $250 million at their peak. Additionally, Helium faced criticism for overstating partnerships, such as with Lime, the rideshare company, which clarified that their relationship was limited to a 2019 test. Similar issues arose with Salesforce, which denied any partnership, leading Helium to remove their logos from promotional materials. These controversies have raised questions about the company's transparency and the sustainability of its growth strategies.

In February, the decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) associated with Solana [SOL] experienced a notable rebound, driven by significant user growth in key projects such as Helium and Hivemapper. Helium Mobile reported a remarkable ninefold increase in users, reaching 145,000, marking its highest growth in a year. Hivemapper, a community-driven alternative to Google Maps, also saw its demand triple due to the introduction of new mapping devices. Collectively, these projects maintained steady revenues of approximately $350,000, indicating a stabilization in the DePIN sector for 2025. The resurgence of DePIN could potentially serve as a catalyst for SOL's value, especially following a significant decline in meme-coin activity that adversely affected Solana's decentralized exchange (DEX) volumes. In January, during the peak of DEX activity, SOL reached a record high of $295, largely fueled by the excitement surrounding the TRUMP memecoin. However, a subsequent 60% drop in DEX volumes led to a decline in SOL's value, which has since stabilized above the $120 support level. The question remains whether DePIN can fill the void left by meme coins and bolster SOL's value moving forward. Despite the resurgence of DePIN, the overall network activity within the Solana ecosystem remains heavily influenced by meme coins. Active addresses surged to 5.7 million during the TRUMP meme-coin craze in mid-January but saw a decline throughout February. Although there was a slight increase in active addresses to 4.4 million, this was followed by a drop to 2.7 million by the end of the month. By mid-March, the number of active addresses stabilized at 3.11 million, reflecting a 45% decrease from January's peak. As of now, SOL is valued at $130, maintaining its position above the critical 2024 support zone, leaving uncertainty about whether it can avoid further corrections.

Spring has arrived, bringing a wave of innovation to the DIMO Developer ecosystem. With over 250 developer licenses minted, the platform is witnessing a surge in app launches and builder updates. Recent enhancements to the Data SDKs, including new functions for retrieving vehicle data and streamlined token exchanges, aim to simplify the development process. The naming conventions have also been updated for clarity, making it easier for developers to access privileged vehicle data without excessive boilerplate code. In an exciting development, DIMO has officially begun support for Tesla Streaming as of March 1st. This feature allows developers to access real-time data from Tesla vehicles down to the second, a significant improvement from the previous five-minute interval data. However, it's important for developers to note that this feature is only available to Tesla drivers who have reconnected their vehicles with the DIMO mobile app and added a Virtual Key. This update opens new avenues for applications that require immediate and detailed data from Tesla vehicles. Additionally, the DIMO Developer Console is set to undergo significant changes, including the consolidation of multiple apps under individual developer licenses. This update will streamline the user experience, allowing developers to manage their applications more efficiently. Furthermore, a redesign of the Developer Console is on the horizon, featuring an improved onboarding experience, a cleaner purchase process, and new integration options. These enhancements are designed to foster a more supportive environment for builders, ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed in their projects. Developers are encouraged to engage with the community and explore funding opportunities through the DIMO Ignite Grants Program as they embark on their building journeys.

The New Jersey Devils have introduced a groundbreaking AI chatbot named "Bott Stevens," aimed at enhancing digital fan engagement. This innovative chatbot is named after the legendary Devils player Scott Stevens and is powered by Theta EdgeCloud's decentralized AI infrastructure. Scheduled to launch during the 2024-25 NHL season, Bott Stevens will be accessible on the team's official website, providing fans with real-time information on game schedules, ticket sales, statistics, and merchandise. Utilizing Theta's Retrieval Augmented Generation technology, the chatbot will ensure data accuracy by sourcing information from official NHL channels, thereby minimizing the risk of misinformation from unverified sources. Bott Stevens boasts impressive computational capabilities, leveraging Theta EdgeCloud's network of over 30,000 edge nodes and distributed GPUs, which collectively offer more than 80 PetaFLOPS of processing power. This robust infrastructure is designed to handle peak demand, particularly during high-stakes events like playoffs or significant team announcements. In addition to answering fan inquiries, the chatbot will provide historical highlights, game recaps, venue information, and updates on team events. Future enhancements may include predictive analytics for fantasy sports and interactive tools to further engage fans. To promote Bott Stevens, the Devils plan to integrate its capabilities across multiple platforms, encouraging fan interaction and awareness. The chatbot will not only deliver statistics and schedules but also curated content that enriches the fan experience, such as historical highlights and information about upcoming events. Success metrics will include user engagement rates, accuracy of information, and feedback from fans, ensuring that Bott Stevens remains a valuable resource for the Devils' community. By focusing on continuous learning and personalized interactions, the team aims to differentiate Bott Stevens from other AI agents, creating a unique and engaging experience for fans.

The landscape of Confidential AI is undergoing a significant transformation, primarily driven by the introduction of Intel® Trust Domain Extensions (Intel® TDX). For years, developers faced challenges when trying to secure AI workloads using Intel SGX, which often required extensive modifications to applications and led to compatibility issues. This cumbersome process not only wasted time but also hindered the real-world adoption of Confidential AI solutions. However, with Intel TDX, developers can now run AI workloads in secure virtual machines without needing to rewrite their code, thereby streamlining the development process and enhancing performance. Intel TDX is designed to create a hardware-isolated trusted execution environment (TEE) that enhances data confidentiality and integrity in virtualized environments. Built into Intel’s 4th Generation Xeon® Scalable processors, TDX introduces Trust Domains that isolate virtual machines from the hypervisor and even cloud service providers. This isolation is crucial for AI applications that handle sensitive datasets and proprietary models, as it significantly reduces the attack surface while maintaining high performance. Additionally, TDX is optimized for AI workloads, leveraging advanced CPU capabilities to accelerate deep learning and machine learning models, making it a robust choice for developers. The collaboration between Intel TDX and iExec is paving the way for a new era of Confidential AI. As a Gold Member of the Intel Partner Alliance, iExec is at the forefront of this movement, providing solutions that enable secure, decentralized, and scalable execution of AI workloads. This partnership not only enhances the security of AI computations but also ensures compliance with data protection regulations. With practical applications in sectors like healthcare and finance, iExec empowers developers to build privacy-preserving AI applications that prioritize data ownership and secure computing, ultimately leading to a more trustworthy AI ecosystem.

Decentralized AI network iAgent has successfully raised $3 million in funding and launched its native token, $AGNT. The project aims to create a new ERC standard and has formed strategic partnerships with notable projects such as Base, LayerZero, Avalanche, Aethir, Arbitrum, and XAI Games. With the Token Generation Event (TGE) now live, iAgent is establishing a foundation for AI Agents to become verifiable digital assets that can be trained, validated, and exchanged transparently. The initiative focuses on enhancing the scalability and accessibility of AI models across various ecosystems, with products like the Visual Learning Model (VLM) designed to learn from real-world gameplay rather than traditional text-based methods. The VLM-powered AI is currently operational in games like Counter Strike 2, Off the Grid, and Citizen Conflict, where players have contributed over 25 TB of gameplay data. iAgent is also developing a new ERC asset standard to bring AI Agents on-chain, ensuring secure and interoperable digital assets that facilitate true ownership and trading. The AI Agent Marketplace is central to the iAgent ecosystem, allowing developers to list AI models for rental or sale, while businesses can purchase or integrate tailored AI solutions. Additionally, the iAgent DEV Hub provides developers with essential tools and a trustless AI validation framework to optimize AI models. As gaming serves as a primary use case for training VLM-based models, iAgent is introducing adaptive AI agents to enhance gaming experiences through AI-powered assistants, Smart NPCs, and predictive AI for in-game economies. The roadmap for iAgent includes the launch of the AI Agent Marketplace in April 2025, followed by the introduction of the ERC standard proposal and the AGNT-Hub. By Q4 2025, the protocol Testnet and main net will be launched, establishing a fully operational iAgent Protocol. The AGNT token will play a crucial role in powering AI training, trading, and governance participation, positioning iAgent at the forefront of the rapidly growing AI, gaming, and DePIN industries.