NODES FOR SALE: It is the blockchain business’s newest innovation – not in expertise, however in spherical up money from buyers. “Node gross sales” contain promoting blockchain nodes on to buyers – a course of that brings in fast money whereas ostensibly giving initiatives a simple path to decentralization. Nonetheless a comparatively new phenomenon in fast-moving crypto, they’re changing into extra widespread: Aethir, a decentralized GPU cloud infrastructure supplier, disclosed final week that it had distributed greater than 73,000 node licenses valued at over 41,000 ETH ($126 million). Different blockchain initiatives elevating funds by way of node gross sales embody CARV, XAI Games and Powerloom. The most recent to come back to market is Sophon, an entertainment-focused blockchain ecosystem primarily based on zkSync expertise, counting on Celestia for information. The venture attracted greater than $60 million in a node sale over the previous week, though its founders are semi-anonymous. Sure mechanics of the gross sales seem designed to drive the concern of lacking out, or FOMO – similar to a system of tiering, the place the value goes greater as extra nodes are offered, and the usage of unique whitelists that reserve early spots for sure customers. “Patrons hope to get prime quality initiatives,” says Calvin Chu, a former Binance researcher who helped begin Unimaginable Finance, which has facilitated among the gross sales. As with many crypto-related investments, patrons additionally hope for juicy yields within the types of token rewards, and presumably to qualify for eventual token airdrops.
