$AKT
Web3 Infrastructure • Tools • Ecosystem Access
native token of Akash Network — decentralized cloud computing marketplace
$AKT is the native utility token of Akash Network — an open-source, decentralized marketplace for cloud computing resources built on the Cosmos SDK using a Delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. It allows anyone with unused computing capacity to lease it to developers and businesses who need it, creating a permissionless alternative to centralized cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. The marketplace operates through a reverse auction system where customers propose their desired price and providers compete for the business, driving costs significantly below centralized alternatives. Deployments are defined using a YAML-based language called SDL and run on Kubernetes, providing enterprise-grade container orchestration on decentralized infrastructure. $AKT is required to purchase compute on the network, stake to secure the blockchain, and participate in governance — making it a genuine utility token that passes the removal test. Without $AKT, the marketplace cannot function. Akash gained significant attention as demand for GPU compute surged with the rise of AI workloads. The network’s GPU marketplace allows developers to access high-performance computing for AI model training and inference at a fraction of centralized costs. Revenue grew 73% quarter-over-quarter in Q3 2024, reaching $304,000 — driven largely by resource-intensive AI deployments. AKT 2.0 introduced Take/Make fees and an Incentive Distribution Pool, routing protocol revenue back to stakers and governance participants. For investors evaluating DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks), Akash represents one of the few projects with verifiable on-chain revenue tied directly to real-world compute demand — not emissions, not narrative, but actual usage generating actual income.
Use Case: A developer building an AI application needs GPU compute for model training but cannot justify the cost of reserved AWS instances. They deploy their workload on Akash Network through the reverse auction marketplace, securing GPU access at 60-80% below centralized pricing. The compute provider — running surplus hardware — earns $AKT for filling the lease. An investor holding $AKT stakes their position to secure the network, earning staking yield while the Take Rate from every marketplace transaction flows back through the Incentive Distribution Pool. The token demand is mechanical: every deployment requires $AKT, every provider earns $AKT, and every staker secures the infrastructure that makes it possible.
Key Concepts:
- Decentralization — Distributing cloud infrastructure beyond centralized provider control
- Utility Token — $AKT required for compute purchases, staking, and governance
- Protocol Utility Anchoring — AKT anchored to real marketplace demand, not emissions
- Staking — Securing the Akash network through Delegated Proof-of-Stake
- Delegated Proof of Stake — Consensus mechanism where token holders elect validators
- Governance — AKT holders vote on protocol parameters and network upgrades
- Smart Contracts — Automated matching of compute providers with deployment requests
- Interoperability — Built on Cosmos SDK enabling cross-chain communication
- Scalability — Kubernetes-based infrastructure scaling with provider supply
- Tokenomics — AKT 2.0 Take/Make fees route real revenue to stakers
- Revenue-Backed Yield — Staking rewards tied to actual marketplace transactions
- Demand Driver — AI and GPU compute demand creating organic token buying pressure
Summary: $AKT powers a decentralized cloud computing marketplace where the token is required to buy, sell, and govern compute resources. Revenue is real, demand is driven by AI workloads, and staking yield is backed by protocol fees — not emissions. In a market flooded with infrastructure promises, Akash is one of the few DePIN projects generating verifiable on-chain income from actual usage.
Akash Ecosystem Product Reference
the infrastructure layers powering the decentralized cloud
$AKT Evaluation Framework
real compute demand or infrastructure theater
$AKT Checklist
compute demand is the utility — everything else is noise
Protocol Health
☐ On-chain revenue growing quarter-over-quarter
☐ Active lease count trending upward — real deployments, not test transactions
☐ GPU provider count expanding — supply scaling with demand
☐ Developer activity ongoing — Mainnet upgrades shipping consistently
Tokenomics Integrity
☐ AKT 2.0 Take/Make fees active — revenue flowing to stakers
☐ Unlock schedule understood — linear vesting reducing sudden dilution
☐ Total supply cap known — 388M maximum with 73% already circulating
☐ Incentive Distribution Pool verified — real yield, not just inflation
Competitive Edge
☐ Cost advantage over AWS/GCP/Azure verified — 60-80% savings
☐ AI/GPU demand trend assessed — growing or plateauing
☐ Differentiation from Render, Bittensor, and other DePIN projects clear
☐ Kubernetes infrastructure provides enterprise-grade deployment quality
Portfolio Positioning
☐ AKT sized by conviction — infrastructure play, not speculation
☐ Cosmos ecosystem exposure understood alongside primary L1 holdings
☐ Staking yield active — revenue-backed through marketplace fees
☐ Cycle gains routed to $KAG / $KAU in Kinesis for preservation
Capital Rotation Map
decentralized compute demand does not wait for bull markets
Usage You Can Audit: Most infrastructure tokens promise decentralization. Akash delivers it with receipts. Every compute lease, every GPU deployment, every dollar of marketplace revenue is verifiable on-chain. The network does not need a marketing cycle to generate demand — developers need compute, AI models need GPUs, and centralized providers charge premiums that Akash undercuts by design. That is not a narrative. That is a business model. Evaluate it the way you would evaluate any revenue-generating asset: is demand growing, is revenue real, and does the token have a mechanical role that cannot be removed? If yes, size the position by conviction. Stake it for revenue-backed yield. And when the AI narrative peaks and every infrastructure token trades at euphoric multiples, exit on schedule and route the gains into $KAG through Kinesis — where infrastructure is measured in troy ounces, not teraflops, and the demand for preservation has never had a down cycle.