Akash Network (AKT) - Blockchain Guide

Introduction to Akash Network

Akash Network is a decentralized cloud computing marketplace that connects users needing compute resources with providers who have spare capacity. Built on Cosmos SDK, Akash positions itself as the “Airbnb of cloud computing,” enabling anyone to buy or sell computing power.

Founded by Greg Osuri, Akash targets the massive cloud computing market dominated by AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. The protocol claims to offer compute at significantly lower costs than centralized providers, while enabling permissionless access without the gatekeeping of traditional cloud services.

The Decentralized Cloud Vision

Centralized Cloud Problems

Current market issues:

Expensive pricing
Vendor lock-in
Permission required
Underutilized capacity

Akash’s Solution

Marketplace approach:

Open marketplace
Competitive pricing
Permissionless access
Utilize spare capacity

Market Opportunity

Cloud market scale:

$500+ billion market
Growing rapidly
Concentrated players
Disruption potential

How Akash Works

Deployment Flow

User process:

Define requirements (SDL)
Submit deployment
Providers bid
Select provider
Deployment runs

Provider Economics

Supplier side:

Register compute capacity
Bid on deployments
Earn AKT payments
Utilize idle resources

Stack Description Language (SDL)

Deployment definition:

Specify compute needs
Memory requirements
Storage needs
Networking config

Technical Specifications

Metric	Value
Consensus	Tendermint PoS
Built On	Cosmos SDK
IBC Enabled	Yes
Token	AKT
Marketplace	Reverse auction
Compute Type	Containers

The AKT Token

Utility

AKT serves multiple purposes:

Staking: Network security
Payment: Compute costs
Governance: Protocol decisions
Incentives: Provider subsidies

Tokenomics

Supply dynamics:

Inflation for staking
Provider incentives
Community pool
Ecosystem development

Payment Flow

Transaction economics:

Users pay in AKT (or stables)
Providers earn AKT
Take rate to network
Sustainable model

GPU Computing

AI/ML Focus

High-demand market:

GPU compute scarce
AI training needs
Inference workloads
Growing demand

GPU Marketplace

Provider expansion:

GPU providers joining
NVIDIA hardware
Competitive pricing
Capacity growing

AI Workloads

Use cases:

Model training
Inference APIs
Data processing
Research computing

Ecosystem Development

Deployed Applications

Current usage:

Websites and apps
Development environments
Blockchain nodes
AI/ML workloads

Developer Experience

Building on Akash:

Container-based deployment
Familiar tooling
Documentation
Community support

Cloudmos Console

User interface:

Web-based deployment
Easy management
Provider selection
Monitoring tools

Competition and Positioning

vs. Centralized Cloud

Aspect	Akash	AWS/GCP/Azure
Pricing	Lower	Higher
Permission	None	Required
Uptime SLA	Variable	Guaranteed
Support	Community	Enterprise

vs. Other DePIN Compute

Project	Focus	Status
Akash	General compute	Live
Render	GPU rendering	Live
Golem	Compute tasks	Live
Flux	Decentralized infra	Live

Market Position

Current standing:

Growing deployment count
Competitive pricing
GPU capacity building
Active development

Challenges and Risks

Enterprise Adoption

Business requirements:

SLA expectations
Support needs
Compliance requirements
Risk tolerance

Provider Reliability

Decentralized challenges:

Variable quality
Uptime consistency
Provider reputation
Resource availability

Competition

Market dynamics:

Centralized cloud dominance
Other DePIN projects
Price competition
Feature parity

Complexity

User friction:

Learning curve
SDL complexity
Provider selection
Troubleshooting

Recent Developments

GPU Network Growth

Capacity expansion:

More GPU providers
NVIDIA partnerships
AI workload support
Capacity growth

Pricing Competitiveness

Cost advantages:

Documented savings
Enterprise comparisons
GPU pricing
Market positioning

Ecosystem Tools

Developer experience:

Console improvements
SDK development
Integration tools
Documentation

Future Roadmap

Development priorities:

GPU: Expand GPU capacity
Enterprise: Adoption features
Tools: Developer experience
Providers: Network growth
AI: AI/ML focus

Conclusion

Akash Network addresses a genuine market need: providing cost-effective, permissionless access to cloud computing. The marketplace model enables price discovery and utilization of spare capacity that centralized providers can’t match.

The GPU computing focus positions Akash for the AI boom, where compute demand exceeds supply at reasonable prices. Provider growth and reliability improvements will determine enterprise adoption potential.

For developers seeking affordable compute without centralized gatekeeping and for resource providers wanting to monetize spare capacity, Akash offers a compelling marketplace. Success depends on scaling provider quality and capacity to meet growing demand.

Technology Stack