Decentralized cloud computing platform Aethir has announced the launch of Batch 6 of its $100 million Ecosystem Fund, broadening its scope beyond AI agents to encompass emerging real-world asset (RWA) startups. The statement was released on Aethir’s blog on April 23, detailing the shift in the fund’s focus towards supporting selected RWA projects with decentralized GPU cloud computing grants.
Historically, Aethir has backed more than 25 AI-focused grantees. However, with this latest batch, the platform is incorporating RWA builders into its decentralized cloud ecosystem, paving the way for a broader array of technological innovation.
The recently chosen grantees include Zoo Finance, a native Berachain (BERA) protocol providing structured asset products and liquidity vaults. Upside OS, an asset tokenization operating system, links traditional finance to the digital market. PinLink, a RWA-tokenized DePIN marketplace, aims to reduce costs for AI developers and generate a passive income stream for asset owners.
The Ecosystem Fund offers a unique proposition: rather than distributing cash, the fund dispenses grants in the form of decentralized GPU cloud computing power. This gives grantees access to Aethir’s extensive global GPU network, including over 425,000 GPU containers and high-performance chips like NVIDIA H200s and GB200s.
By providing this resource, Aethir eliminates the need for expensive, centralized infrastructure, empowering early-stage teams to scale applications that heavily rely on AI and RWA. With the introduction of Batch 6, Aethir aims to assist more founders in developing the next wave of RWA and AI applications using decentralized computing.
Aethir noted that the RWA sector is experiencing rapid growth, with on-chain assets already surpassing $20 billion. Some analysts speculate that this figure could swell to $500 billion by 2025, and possibly reach $30 trillion by 2030. This exponential growth has given rise to new segments such as “RWAfi,” which seamlessly combines RWAs with decentralized finance infrastructure.
Currently, Aethir is collaborating with projects like Plume and GAIB to explore these use cases. The company is supporting efforts to tokenize computing infrastructure and make it accessible to builders across web3 through the RWAI Initiative and its GPU Tokenization Pilot on the BNB Chain (BNB). Such initiatives clearly reflect Aethir’s commitment to fostering technological innovation and developing a more inclusive and decentralized cloud ecosystem.
