NEAR as the AI-native base layer: DCML, AITP, Intents and chain signatures
Post175 words
NEAR has 8 shards live with sub-second finality, DCML for verifiable ML, AITP for agentic commerce, Intents for cross-chain DeFi and MPC chain signatures. The thesis is that this makes NEAR the economic base layer for agent-driven capital.
Key claims
8 shards live on mainnet with sub-second finality
NEAR AI offers free inference
Plans to build the largest open-source AI model
NEAR is a high-performance blockchain with 8 shards live on mainnet, sub-second finality, and AI-optimized infrastructure including DCML for verifiable ML, AITP for agentic commerce, and much more.
@NEARProtocol also powers the NEAR Intents framework for scalable cross-chain DeFi, and MPC-powered chain signatures with continuous key rotation enable natively chain abstracted accounts with top tier security.
This primes NEAR to serve as an economic base layer for widespread AI adoption acting as cost-efficient payment rails, especially as it is also home to the @near_ai hub.
NEAR AI provides free inference and broad smart contract integrations for building user-owned agents, accelerating open-source AI development. In November last year, NEAR also announced plans to build the largest open-source AI model in existence in-house.
Don't think you are ready for what happens to the $NEAR price when the above thesis plays out and the NEAR ecosystem turns into an agent-centric economy that acts as a global hub for agentic capital that is autonomously deployed across ecosystems in a full chain-abstracted manner.
Bull case is clear (and huge) imo.
How the call played out · since 15 Jul 2025
Prices as of 23 Oct 2026This piece takes a view on $NEAR, so that move is read against the call.
+92%
Moved with the call · over 15 months
- At publication
- $2.58
- Now
- $4.95
- vs BTC
- +182%
- After 1 month
- +16%
- After 3 months
- +1.4%
- After 1 year
- −22%
- High since
- +128% 12 Oct 2026
- Low since
- −63% 12 Feb 2026
Since then
Zero has written 4 more pieces on NEAR Protocol and NEAR AI and $NEAR since this one.
- Quantum and post-quantum map: PQ crypto assets by readinessOn NEAR
- I Built a Research Desk Staffed Entirely by AI Agents. It Works.Covers $NEAR
- New vs returning wallets across Ethereum, Solana, NEAR, Polygon and SuiCovers $NEAR
- NEAR DCML explained: confidential, verifiable and monetizable AI via TEEsCovers $NEAR
Daily closes in USD from DefiLlama and Yahoo Finance. Only a bullish or bearish thesis is read as a call; explainers, maps and mentions are context. Not financial advice.