Decentralized AI Gets $10M Boost as Gradient Network Rises

Key Points

• Gradient Network raised $10M from Pantera, Multicoin, and HSG
• Funds to build Lattica and Parallax for decentralized AI runtime
• Market for decentralized AI expected to hit $973.6M by 2027
• Key challenges include security, latency, and coordination

Decentralized AI just got a major vote of confidence. Gradient Network has landed a $10 million seed round, led by leading crypto investors — Pantera Capital, Multicoin Capital, and HSG. The investment will fund the development of its browser-based decentralized AI runtime infrastructure, powered by two open protocols: Lattica and Parallax.

Lattica facilitates real-time, peer-to-peer data streaming for AI processes, while Parallax enables distributed AI model inference across lightweight devices, such as browsers. Together, they represent a bold step toward AI systems that are cheaper, faster, and more private—by—design.

This approach diverges from the dominant cloud-based AI models controlled by Big Tech. Instead of centralized data centers, Gradient envisions AI running across thousands of community-powered nodes — each one helping to process and respond to AI tasks.

Announcing our $10M seed round led by @PanteraCapital and @multicoincap, with participation from @hsgcap, distinguished partners, and top angels across AI and crypto.

This milestone fuels our mission to build the world’s first fully decentralized AI runtime.… pic.twitter.com/AMfVbHMk7t

— Gradient Network (@Gradient_HQ) June 17, 2025

The timing couldn’t be better. By the end of 2024, there were 164 projects in the decentralized AI space, with 104 of them receiving funding. Industry forecasts predict the market will grow to $973.6 million by 2027, underscoring a rising demand for alternatives to centralized AI infrastructure.

Unlike other projects in the space — such as Bittensor (focused on model training) or Gensyn (a compute marketplace) — Gradient is targeting real-time inference and coordination of AI agents. That means not just running models, but enabling them to interact, share data, and perform tasks across decentralized environments.

This shift aligns with broader developments in the space. From Iran’s AI-linked Injective network deal to the Chainlink-Mastercard partnership unlocking DEX access, decentralized tech is no longer theoretical — it’s going live across verticals.

I’m fully positioning myself for GRADIENT, a big project

Step-by-step guide to @Gradient_HQ

Gradient is building decentralized AI for Web3, fully secure and transparent.

Gradient Raises $10M Funding

– sign up: https://t.co/pwdkMxlCsE
– input email
– Input code for 3000 exp:… pic.twitter.com/Fxkza77n0G

— Ajeet Jhurawat (💜,💛) (@ajeetjhurawat) June 21, 2025

Why This Raise Matters for the Future of AI Infrastructure

The involvement of Pantera and Multicoin signals more than just capital — it marks growing institutional belief in decentralized AI as a foundational layer of the future internet.

Gradient’s tech stack is designed to support modular AI agents that can dynamically run across distributed systems, with each agent capable of making decisions, accessing shared context, and performing real-world actions.

This kind of infrastructure is essential for use cases like autonomous vehicles, real-time logistics, or AI-driven games, where cloud latency is a deal-breaker.

• Lattica handles the streaming and sharing of data between nodes

• Parallax executes AI inference tasks in a decentralized fashion

This architecture avoids over-reliance on centralized compute providers like AWS or Google Cloud and pushes intelligence closer to the edge — directly into the devices and browsers we use every day.

That decentralization has benefits:

• Lower costs (no centralized servers or data centers)

• Improved privacy (data doesn’t need to be stored or shared centrally)

• Reduced latency (faster response times by running models locally)

This setup positions Gradient as a serious infrastructure layer for the next generation of web3 applications — where autonomy, privacy, and decentralization aren’t features, but foundations.

Own your robots.

Decentralized Physical AI (DePAI) offers an alternative to centralized control of robots and the Physical AI infra stack.

From real world data collection to Physical AI Agents operating robots deployed by DePIN, DePAI is well on its way.@MessariCrypto 🧵 pic.twitter.com/ukskuYIG75

— Dylan Bane (@dylangbane) February 11, 2025

Yet, the shift comes with challenges. Coordinating AI workloads across thousands of varied, untrusted devices is no easy task. That’s where Sentry Nodes come in — Gradient’s mechanism for validating, coordinating, and monitoring AI tasks on its network. It’s a promising concept, but still in the early stages of deployment.

These types of shifts parallel other major crypto movements — including the largest Bitcoin holder consolidating assets, which hints at major institutional changes behind the scenes.

A Growing Industry Facing Real-World Hurdles

Despite the excitement around decentralized AI, there are significant hurdles the industry needs to solve before wide adoption is possible.

1. Bandwidth & Latency
   AI inference requires fast data transfer. Browser-based networks often face inconsistent connections, making real-time performance a concern.

2. Hardware Diversity
   Unlike cloud servers with standardized configurations, users’ devices vary widely. Coordinating compute across phones, tablets, and desktops introduces complexity.

3. Security Threats
   Running models on untrusted devices raises the risks of data leaks, manipulated outputs, or poisoned models. Gradient’s privacy-first architecture is promising, but independent audits and long-term resilience will be critical.

4. Scalability
   To work at scale, Gradient needs to prove that its architecture can handle millions of concurrent users and requests without crashing or becoming unreliable.

The importance of robust security can’t be overstated, as seen in cases like the Gonjeshke Darande crypto heist, where vulnerabilities in decentralized systems were exploited on a massive scale.

However, the project isn’t isolated in its mission. A wave of decentralized AI projects is forming, each tackling a different part of the stack — from data marketplaces to compute networks to model training. Gradient’s focus on inference and real-time coordination fills a gap that few others are currently addressing.

And just like how Invesco and Galaxy’s Solana ETF is reshaping how investors access blockchain ecosystems, Gradient’s infrastructure could redefine how AI is accessed, deployed, and trusted across the web3 world.

Gradient Network is still early in its journey, but this $10 million raise puts it on the map as one of the key players in the decentralized AI revolution.