DePIN’s Millenium Prize Problems
7 unsolved mathematics problems: $1m bounty each.
Foundational breakthroughs in computer science, number theory, fluid dynamics, quantum field theory. Highly ambitious: only 1 problem solved in the last 24 years.
3) Yang-Mills theory
4) Naiver-Stokes smoothness
5) Riemann hypothesis
6) Birch & Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
7) P vs NP
Prize Threshold:
$1m TVL
Opportunity: investors want DePIN exposure without managing multiple wallets, taking idiosyncratic project/ecosystem risk, or locking up money in private funds.
Solution: $DePIN, an onchain index fund offering broad-based exposure across DePIN assets.
1) Deploy smart contracts
2) Launch liquidity mining
3) Integrate w/ CEXs & DeFi
Challenges:
1) No cross-chain infra supports EVM + SVM
2) Low onchain liquidity for underlying tokens
3) Rebalancing mechanism is an exploit vector
Prize Threshold:
100 units sold
Opportunity: DePIN incentivizes overlapping buildouts, as 10+ consumer hardware DePINs
launch miners in 2024 with similar components.
Solution: a DePIN miner with slots for custom chips/sensors that mines many tokens at once.
1) Design & manufacturer modular hardware shell
2) Integrate w/ DePINs (approved manufacturer)
3) Drive sales via marketing & partnerships
Challenges:
1) DAO bureaucracy & partnerships
2) Hardware supply chains & interoperability
3) On-device resource optimization
Prize Threshold:
$100k loaned
Opportunity: there is no credit availability for miners → DePIN cannot compete on equal footing with TradInfra incumbents.
Solution: a DePIN-native lending business that finances miner hardware & deployment growth.
1) Raise debt capital
2) Underwrite projects, miners & deployments
3) Securitize miner collateral or mining profits
Challenges:
1) Raising debt capital for crypto
2) Managing leverage amidst volatility
3) Adverse selection & underwriting complacency
Prize Threshold:
10 real DAUs
Opportunity: proof-of-location aggregated across multiple DePINs is far more useful & flexible than PoL from any one network (see: DEXs).
Solution: a unified proof-of-location API where
users can choose precision/security/cost.
1) Integrate PoL across many DePINs
2) Build developer-friendly API
3) Boosted rewards to participating miners
Challenges:
1) Cross-DePIN integration complexity
2) Manging DAO bureaucracy & politics
3) Real & perceived privacy/performance concerns
Prize Threshold:
10 real DAUs
Opportunity: many incumbents – from telcos, to energy grids, to auto manufacturers – are launching APIs... but most of them suck.
Solution: a unified API for developers to read/write to real-world traditional infra.
1) Build relationships w/ incumbents’ API teams
2) Aggregate functionality into single API
3) Create top-tier dev docs & support
Challenges:
1) Limited functionality on incumbent APIs
2) Building relationships with incumbents
3) Integration complexity across many industries
Prize Threshold:
2 placements
Opportunity: DePIN enables a new class of “tech-
enabled franchises” that are better understood by
engineers than business people.
Solution: search fund recruiting connecting MBAs
& DePIN franchising opportunities.
1) Create list of local DePIN business ideas
2) Recruit local entrepreneurs or MBAs
3) Build matching engine & value-add support
Challenges:
1) Cyclical interest from MBAs
2) Lots of value-add support needed
3) Time horizon mismatch
Prize Threshold:
100 active contributors
Opportunity: developer DAOs & investment DAOs
play a huge role in scaling DeFi, but no such
efforts exist for DePIN yet.
Solution: create onchain communities - a la
nounsDAO or gitcoin - to accelerate DePIN growth.
1) Find initial community & capital base
2) Create onchain vehicle / deploy contracts
3) Community-led governance & grants
Challenges:
1) Building genuine community
2) Bad cross-chain infra
3) Onchain governance failures