State of Solana DePIN in the APAC region 2024

The rapidly evolving landscape of blockchain technology continues to redefine the way we think about infrastructure and connectivity. At the forefront of this transformation is the concept of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN).

These networks represent a paradigm shift in how we build, deploy, and manage physical infrastructure, moving away from centralized control towards a more democratized and efficient model. DePINs leverage tokenized incentives to empower individuals and communities to contribute resources like computing power, storage, bandwidth, and even physical assets like vehicles or sensors, creating a decentralized and resilient network.

Among the numerous blockchain platforms, Solana has emerged as a prominent player. Solana, a high-performance blockchain known for its speed, low fees, and scalability, is a platform of choice for many DePIN projects. Its technical capabilities, coupled with a vibrant developer community, offer a robust foundation for building and deploying decentralized infrastructure solutions.

In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, where technological innovation and digital transformation are accelerating at a breakneck pace, the fusion of DePIN and Solana presents a unique opportunity. This region, characterized by its diverse economies and dynamic regulatory environments, is witnessing an increasing convergence of traditional infrastructure challenges with modern, decentralized solutions. The integration of blockchain into physical infrastructure not only promises enhanced transparency, efficiency, and resilience but also opens up avenues for new business models and community-driven initiatives.

This research investigates the state of DePIN on Solana in the APAC region, mapping out the current landscape, identifying key projects and stakeholders, and analyzing the factors driving growth and innovation. By providing clarity and insight into this emerging sector, the study aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers, writers, and crypto enthusiasts eager to understand the nuances and potential of decentralized physical infrastructures in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

Region-specific projects building on solana

Dabba WiFi: Dabba Network seeks to bridge India’s connectivity gap. In a nation with 1.43 billion people, while mobile connectivity is widespread (around 800 million connections), fixed broadband lags at only about 13 million connections. Its mission is to “bring the next billion online” by partnering with over 150,000 local cable operators (LCOs) in the country to convert legacy cable TV infrastructure into fiber-optic broadband.

The project aims to deploy more than 100,000 DePIN-powered hotspots across India by year’s end. In season one of its sales, they sold out 1000 devices. Currently in season 2, they plan to sell out 10,000 devices with already 4,482 sold. Backed by prominent investors (e.g., Y-Combinator, Multicoin Capital), they also came 3rd in the DePIN track of the Solana Renaissance 2024 hackathon and got accepted into the first ever colosseum accelerator program getting $250,000 funding. At the end of 2024, Dabba also got into the helium accelerator program.

DeCharge: DeCharge is an EV charging infrastructure project developed as part of India’s growing DePIN ecosystem on Solana. It enables users to purchase and install decentralized EV charging stations and earn token rewards when others use them. The project has already recorded over 400,000 minutes of EV charging across more than 211 locations in Asia, Europe and the US. The project was incubated during the 2024 colosseum renaissance hackathon taking 2nd place and getting into its accelerator program same year. Currently they partnered with greenKWh to launch and install a solar powered EV charging box station in major cities in India and also partnered with dephy to launch their latest device Decharge beast, a 7KW EV charger.

Blockmesh: BlockMesh is a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) project built on Solana. It enables users to monetize their excess bandwidth, providing a way for participants to earn passive income by sharing unused internet connectivity. It is positioned at the intersection of blockchain, AI data layers, and privacy, echoing themes seen in similar projects like Grass.

BlockMesh garnered significant attention after winning at the Solana Renaissance Hackathon, where it received a $30,000 USDC award.

Early reports mention over 60,000 participants in its airdrop program, with users required to register, connect their Solana wallets, and follow specific guidelines (e.g., one device per account) to participate.

Proto is a platform aimed at combining applications and real-world asset (RWA) projects. It focuses on enabling decentralized mapping and usage-based payment models by offering a layered application infrastructure. The platform’s native token, $PROTO, is used for governance and incentivizing contributions, particularly within mapping and location-based services.

The project is designed to empower mappers by providing a trustless and autonomous monetization method, making it attractive for communities in emerging markets.

GreenKWh, also known as SvachSakthi, is an off-grid cooperative network for renewable energy. In the just-concluded 2024 Colosseum Radar hackathon, the project took 1st place in the DePIN track.

Kiko network: Kiko is a user-centric IoT network for climate monitoring built on Solana, designed to track real-time weather and air quality data from decentralized nodes across the globe. They came 5th Place in the Colosseum Radar DePIN track.

Unkomon: A Japanese poop to earn platform combining gaming + DePIN. In the medical industry, there’s high demand for stool data for research but hard to collect because healthy individuals have little motivation to provide it. Unkomon is using token incentives and gamification to motivate individuals to submit stool data consistently. Users upload stool images, collect tokens and grow monsters in-game.

Notable global projects with APAC presence

Hivemapper: Hivemapper operates as an open-source platform where users contribute street-level imagery using 4K dashcams placed in users cars. This approach democratizes map creation and maintenance by incentivizing contributors with its native cryptocurrency token, $HONEY. The platform employs a "drive-to-earn" model, allowing drivers to earn rewards for collecting and contributing high-quality mapping data. This model has attracted over 137,000 contributors worldwide. The project has a significant presence in Japan and the Philippines.

Helium: Helium provides a decentralized wireless network primarily for IoT and 5G connectivity. This innovative approach leverages blockchain technology to empower individuals and businesses to build their own hotspots, creating a vast and scalable infrastructure. With over 392,000 hotspots deployed globally, Helium has expanded rapidly into APAC regions (notably South Korea and Southeast Asia).

Starpower: With significant presence in Japan, India, the Philippines, and Malaysia, Starpower is a decentralized energy network that connects various energy devices such as air conditioning units, electric vehicle chargers, and batteries. It utilizes blockchain technology to optimize energy efficiency by coordinating device charging and discharging based on usage patterns.

Render Network: The Render Network allows users to monetize their idle GPU resources by contributing them to a global network. This approach creates a scalable peer-to-peer cloud computing environment where content creators can access high-performance GPUs on-demand

WeatherXM: They recently partnered with Dabba WiFi to utilize its over 150,000 aggregated LCOs to deploy its devices all over India. WeatherXM integrates IoT sensors and blockchain technology to offer real-time weather insights.

Roam: Roam has emerged as a leading DePIN project within the Solana ecosystem, boasting approximately 1.21 million devices integrated into its network. This project focuses on creating a decentralized WiFi network where anyone can turn their home or business router into a node that provides internet access to others and earn rewards through token incentives. Instead of relying on large telecom providers, the network leverages the collective power of community-operated hotspots. Its success is particularly notable in Southeast Asia China, Korea, and Indonesia.

Why certain apac countries excel in some DePIN sectors over others

In the APAC region, Indian is one of the indigenous forerunners actively building DePIN products on Solana. This can be attributed to its active Solana developer communities such as Superteam India. These communities offer support to dev talents by organizing tutorials, workshops, AMAs, and conferences that onboard new builders into the Solana ecosystem and help experienced ones scale their project ideas. Also, India is a developing country with over 1.4 billion people. Legacy infrastructure fails at catering to the needs of everyone due to fact that they are few or not even there as India skipped some aspects of civilization, such as the Industrial Revolution, straight to the digital/tech revolution. Key physical infrastructure that would have been laid down and could have been instrumental to connecting everyone seamlessly in India is lacking.

Starting now to build this physical infrastructure has proven to be very costly, and there’s a limit to how much infrastructure you can build and install. For instance, in its telecom industry, the major players have had difficulty installing cell towers, especially in rural, remote areas, to bring fast 5G internet connection. DePIN projects such as Dabba WiFi solve this.

India ranks as the second-largest crypto holder globally, fostering grassroots DePIN adoption and with its large population, With a lot of sustainable energy talks by it’s governments, Indians have been moving to utilizing other source of energy such as solar, hydropower and are gradually also doing away with combustion engines. DePIN projects such as Decharge has seen enormous adoption rate as the country increasingly adopt EV 2 and 3 wheelers vehicles.

Japan has long been a global leader in consumer electronics, robotics, and sensor manufacturing. This expertise translates directly into high-quality hardware that can support reliable, innovative DePIN solutions—such as decentralized mapping and IoT networks—where precision and robust sensor data are crucial. Hence why global projects such as helium, weatherXM have a strong presence in the country. The demand for iot

South Korea’s early investments in nationwide broadband and 5G networks enabled gaming, compute power and wireless connectivity sector. DePIN projects such as renderand other compute-intensive applications are thriving in this tech-savvy environment. The seamless integration of DePIN solutions, such as decentralized rendering services, leverages South Korea's exceptional digital infrastructure and enhances the capabilities of developers and users alike. By pushing the boundaries of what's achievable with shared processing power, these projects are paving the way for advancements in gaming graphics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, Australia is harnessing its vast natural resources to implement DePIN models centered around environmental sustainability. With initiatives like decentralized solar energy grids and smart farming solutions, the Australian market is ideal for projects such as Power Ledger, which allows users to trade excess energy peer-to-peer, thus ensuring a more efficient use of renewable resources. As Australian farmers and homeowners become more engaged in these decentralized platforms, they benefit from both increased energy autonomy and economic resilience.

Singapore, with its strategic position as a global financial hub, is witnessing a rise in DePIN projects focused on finance and urban logistics. The city-state's emphasis on digital innovation creates fertile ground for cryptocurrency trading platforms and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. Initiatives such as Fetch.ai, which utilizes artificial intelligence to optimize urban systems, and other applications streamline daily life and foster efficient city planning. This increasing adoption reflects Singapore's readiness to embrace advancements in technology and infrastructure to enhance the quality of urban life.

Furthermore, emerging economies in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, are recognizing the potential of DePIN technologies. The young, tech-savvy populations are eager to engage with decentralized solutions that address local challenges, from agricultural supply chains to digital payments. Startups in these regions are exploring blockchain solutions with local nuances, creating tailored applications that resonate with their communities and harness the energy for growth.

In summary, the APAC region stands at the forefront of the DePIN movement, with each country contributing unique strengths to the ecosystem. The combination of innovation, community-driven initiatives, and a willingness to embrace decentralized solutions paves the way for inclusive growth, addressing systemic challenges, and fostering an environment where technology is leveraged to build a better future for all. As more projects emerge and established infrastructures evolve, it is clear that the potential of DePIN will transform not just individual lives but entire societies.