Vistara: decentralized hypervisor and hardware layer for DePIN and AI
Thread973 words
Explains Vistara's pivot from RaaS to a decentralized hypervisor network offering programmable CPU, GPU, RAM and storage, with components Hypercore, Unikernel, MicroVM, Spacecores, Hardware as Code and Vimana. Discloses being an angel investor in the pre-seed.
Key claims
Vimana runs well over 10k Avail and Celestia light nodes
Pre-seed angels include Celestia's Nick White and Mustafa Al-Bassam
Part of the Binance Labs incubation program
I spent months diving into the DePIN and AI narrative and have identified a few select winners.
One early-stage gem that will be a true game-changer is @vistaralabs.
A Hardware Availability Layer for Web3 that democratizes access to decentralized hardware.
Alpha-🧵 t.co/LqC2TeyY1o
1/ Decentralized AI/ML is the 100x narrative of this cycle.
If you manage to catch a leading play early, it can translate into life-changing gains.
Today, I want to unveil on of my main bets on the narrative.
[Pepe Image]
2/ @vistaralabs originally started out as a RaaS provider.
However, the RaaS market is a crowded game & while Vistara was quick to build a strong product that would def have been competitive, @_mayurc had a bigger vision.
Vistara wouldn't be "just another" RaaS framework.
3/ Instead, @vistaralabs realized that accessing hardware is a problem across many verticals and especially when we talk about high-spec use cases like AI/ML use cases.
4/ That's why instead of continuing to go down the RaaS path, @vistaralabs pivoted.
It is a decentralized hardware virtualization & orchestration network providing low-level programmable access to global hardware resources.
5/ As mentioned above, this is especially interesting for AI use cases with high workloads & a need for scalable hardware.
Many projects source GPUs in a decentralized way. However, few answer the question of how to operationalize inference workloads.
x.com/_mayurc/status/1782869026814693397
6/ That's where @vistaralabs differs from the competitors.
However, it is also highly generalizable and can basically support any use case, not limited to AI/ML.
7/ Considering all of that and looking at some peer valuations in the market, @vistaralabs could be a billion dollar project.
But let's see how this works under the hood! 👇
8/ Vistara introduces the novel concept of a decentralized hypervisor.
This enables the creation of on-demand distributed networks of scale with programmable hardware resources such as CPU, GPU, RAM, Disk, and I/O devices.
9/ These networks aim to bridge the gap between decentralized applications and the physical hardware layer.
A key part of @vistaralabs's mission to make diverse computing resources like CPUs, GPUs, I/O, bandwidth and storage easily accessible & programmable.
The latter is huge.
10/ The core design principles of Vistara are:
✦ Decentralization: Breaking free from centralized cloud infrastructure.
✦ Accessibility: Lowering the barriers of entry.
✦ Innovation: Fexible and adaptable hardware resources for creative use cases across many verticals.
11/ In its entirety, the Vistara Network enables programmable control over physical resources such as CPU, GPU, RAM, Storage, I/O.
By allowing for that, it aims to simplify large-scale distributed system orchestration.
12/ It encourages everyone to be a node operator, making decentralized technology more accessible.
This fosters a community where everyone can contribute, transforming users into active network growth participants.
The Vistara Network consists of the following components. 👇
13/ ✦ Hypercore (Hypervisor Abstraction Layer)
Provides unified interfaces for hypervisor implementations. e.g. the first implementation, includes KVM hypervisors like `Firecracker` and `Cloud-Hypervisor`.
14/ This will allow purpose-built hypervisors that can support things like NVIDIA MIG (Multi-Instance GPU), vGPUs, and GPU passthrough for AI training and inference workloads.
15/ The second is `Unikernel`, and we want to invite the community of developers to build their own implementations in the future. e.g. they could create microkernel implementations using sel4 for more embedded devices or IOT devices.
16/
✦ Unikernel
This hypervisor supports running a single application in a virtualized environment such as an Ethereum light node, enhancing security and performance.
It simplifies operations and supports GPU for tasks like AI training.
17/
✦ MicroVM
Utilizes the Hypercore Abstraction implementation as KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine) hypervisor to deploy resource-efficient microVMs offering kernel-level workload isolation and superior security with a "jailor" program for added Linux user-space security.
18/
✦ Spacecores
Modular units of the Vistara network that ensure isolated and secure execution, deployed using the previously mentioned hypervisor technologies.
19/ This is probably the most exciting part of it all to be honest.
x.com/_mayurc/status/1782497973605110199
20/
✦ Hardware as Code (HAC)
Adapts the web2 "Infrastructure as Code" concept to hardware management, using a TOML file to define hardware behavior, such as deploying decentralized services.
21/
✦ Vimana
Nodes on Vistara operating with a decentralized hypervisor to quickly run spacecores without systems admin expertise.
Vimana software on each node aggregates & offers local hardware resources on-demand, supporting diverse architectures.
x.com/vistaralabs/status/1717732641535832244
22/ Vimana has been widely successful from the get-go, reaching a count of far beyond 10k light nodes for Avail or Celestia that are run through Vimana.
x.com/vistaralabs/status/1725510416066138426
23/ It is even integrated into @CelestiaOrg as the recommended tool for beginners that want to run a light node!
The power of on-demand hardware.
23/
✦ Microchain
Designed to be lightweight and simple, the microchain makes blockchain tech accessible even on devices with limited resources.
It efficiently coordinates requests, like deploying spacecores, while saving only essential data to maintain network integrity.
24/ While @vistaralabs might still be under the radar in the broader public, the VC giants & big brains are not sleeping on it.
Angel investors in the pre-seed round include @nickwh8te & @musalbas from @CelestiaOrg among others (including myself)!
x.com/vistaralabs/status/1727321033139695784
25/ @vistaralabs is also part of the @BinanceLabs incubation program.
x.com/vistaralabs/status/1741547054349025675
26/ I have a lot of conviction on this one and @_mayurc is one of the brightest minds I have met in this space.
Definitely a project to keep on your watchlist and follow closely.
27/ There could be huge value here to be among the first to act once the project opens for community contributions (e.g. GPU).
There will also be additional funding rounds down the line, so even early exposure could still be possible!
That's a wrap! I hope you've found this thread helpful! 🫡
Make sure to follow me @zerokn0wledge_ to stay ahead of the curve on the AI narrative!
Like/Repost of the below post is also highly appreciated! 🙏👇
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What came next · since 06 May 2024
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Zero has written 1 more piece on Vistara since this one.