Which partners adopted NEAR AI Cloud?

NEAR AI Cloud has been adopted by key partners including Brave (Nightly), OpenMind AGI, and Phala Network, according to a recent launch report that highlights these integrations (source).

1. These partnerships reportedly reach over 100 million users.
2. NEAR AI Cloud uses advanced hardware security technologies from Intel and NVIDIA to ensure verifiable privacy.
3. Private Chat runs on NEAR AI Cloud, offering ChatGPT-like features while keeping user data private.

Deep Dive

1. Who’s Using NEAR AI Cloud?

The first partners adopting NEAR AI Cloud are Brave (Nightly), a popular web browser, OpenMind AGI, an AI-focused project, and Phala Network, which specializes in privacy solutions. NEAR’s official announcement on X (formerly Twitter) frames this rollout around the idea that “users should own their AI” (official announcement).

Why it matters: This mix of a mainstream browser and privacy-focused AI projects shows that NEAR AI Cloud appeals to both everyday users and specialized developers.

2. Scale and User Reach

According to the launch report, these integrations collectively reach over 100 million users. This gives NEAR AI Cloud a large audience right from the start, which can help speed up development and testing of privacy-focused AI features.

• The user reach figure comes directly from the launch report.
• NEAR’s announcement on X confirms the timing of this rollout (official announcement).

Why it matters: Having a big user base early on means NEAR AI Cloud can quickly gather feedback and improve privacy-first AI experiences in real-world settings.

3. Technology Behind NEAR AI Cloud

NEAR AI Cloud runs AI tasks inside secure environments called Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). These use Intel TDX and NVIDIA Confidential Computing hardware to protect data and verify that AI models run as intended, without exposing sensitive information. Private Chat leverages this technology to provide ChatGPT-like conversations without collecting or storing user data centrally.

• The launch report highlights the use of hardware-backed privacy and cryptographic verification.
• NEAR emphasizes “verifiable privacy” in its official posts (official announcement).

Why it matters: For industries that handle sensitive data—like healthcare or finance—this approach can reduce risks by ensuring data privacy and compliance. As more partners join, expect NEAR AI Cloud to be used in regulated environments where privacy is critical.

Conclusion

The early adoption by Brave Nightly, OpenMind AGI, and Phala Network shows strong initial support for NEAR AI Cloud’s focus on privacy-first AI. With a reported user base exceeding 100 million, this platform is positioned to grow as more partners integrate its technology. Keep an eye on how NEAR AI Cloud’s use of TEEs, attestation, and user-controlled data becomes a key advantage in AI-powered blockchain applications.

What could affect the price of NEAR?

NEAR's price depends on balancing technological progress with market challenges.

1. Scalability Progress – Testnet reached 1 million transactions per second (TPS), but the main network currently runs on only 9 shards.
2. AI Ecosystem Growth – Privacy-focused AI tools have reached over 100 million users.
3. Inflation Cut in Half – Emissions reduced from 5% to 2.5%, helping to ease selling pressure.

Deep Dive

1. Nightshade Sharding Progress (Positive for NEAR)

Overview: NEAR’s test network achieved an impressive 1 million TPS using 70 shards (CoinSpeaker), but the live mainnet currently operates with just 9 shards. The team plans to add more shards gradually through 2026 to unlock the network’s full potential.

What this means: Adding more shards will improve the network’s ability to handle AI applications and fast decentralized finance (DeFi) transactions. This is important to support NEAR’s current market value of $2.33 billion. However, delays in scaling could allow competitors like Sui, which can handle 160,000 TPS, to gain an edge in attracting institutional users.

2. AI Product Launches (Mixed Results)

Overview: In December, NEAR launched the NEAR AI Cloud and integrated with Brave browser, bringing confidential computing to over 100 million users. Additionally, TravAI, a travel booking platform powered by NEAR, went live (CoinSpeaker). Despite these developments, NEAR faces strong competition from established AI-focused projects like FET, which has grown over 300% this year.

What this means: Real-world usage, such as the number of bookings on TravAI, could help increase NEAR’s value. However, the token’s 73% price drop over the past year shows that investors remain cautious about whether NEAR can turn its AI features into steady revenue rather than just hype.

3. Tokenomics Shift (Positive for NEAR)

Overview: In October, NEAR cut its inflation rate in half, reducing new token supply from about 64 million to 32 million NEAR annually (NEAR Protocol). Since 95% of tokens are already in circulation, this cut lowered the selling pressure from staking rewards by 50%.

What this means: Along with $11.7 million collected in NEAR Intents fees over 30 days, this helps create stronger demand for the token. Still, the price has dropped 12% since the inflation cut, indicating that broader market conditions are currently having a bigger impact than supply changes.

Conclusion

The $1.80 to $1.95 price range is a key support level for NEAR in 2025. If the price breaks above this zone, it could trigger a rally toward $2.50. But if it falls below, the price might drop to $1.20. NEAR’s goal to expand AI services across different blockchains needs to show real revenue growth to recover from its recent underperformance compared to Ethereum (NEAR down 32% vs. ETH down 11% over 90 days).

The big question: Can NEAR Intents evolve from a technical platform into a profitable business before competitors copy its cross-chain AI model?

What are people saying about NEAR?

The NEAR Protocol community is divided between excitement about AI developments and caution about price movements. Here’s what’s trending:

1. AI integrations boost optimism – The launch of NEAR AI Cloud is driving price targets up to $5 🚀
2. Long-term holders focus on inflation vote – Validators are discussing cutting token emissions by 50% 💸
3. Technical traders debate price levels – Key resistance at $3.40 versus potential support risks near $1.80 ⚖️

Deep Dive

1. @NEARProtocol: AI Ecosystem Expansion Looks Positive

"NEAR AI Cloud and Private Chat products are now live with privacy features supported by Intel and NVIDIA. Over 100 million users reached through Brave and OpenMind integrations."
– @NEARProtocol (1.85M followers · 12.1K impressions · 2025-12-03 14:13 UTC)
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What this means: This is a positive sign for NEAR. The introduction of AI tools with strong privacy protections could attract developers who want secure and private applications, which may increase the network’s usefulness and adoption.

2. @NiphermeDave: Cross-Chain Features Show Mixed Impact

"Allora’s predictive layer is now integrated with NEAR – but will it create demand beyond speculative trading?"
– @NiphermeDave (72.3K followers · 8.9K impressions · 2025-09-16 14:32 UTC)
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What this means: This is neutral for NEAR. While improvements in cross-chain compatibility help the ecosystem connect with other blockchains, real growth depends on whether decentralized apps (dApps) attract more users beyond current trading volumes.

3. @cryptoking_nl: Price Resistance Signals Caution

"$NEAR was rejected twice at $3.50. Breaking above $3.40 is critical for an uptrend; failure could lead to retesting support at $2.70."
– @cryptoking_nl (6.8K followers · 1.2K impressions · 2025-09-24 18:44 UTC)
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What this means: This is a bearish short-term signal. The repeated failure to break through key resistance points to weak buying momentum, despite a 17% gain in July 2025.

Conclusion

Opinions on NEAR are mixed. On one hand, AI developments and ecosystem growth offer promising potential. On the other, technical price resistance remains a challenge. Long-term forecasts suggest NEAR could reach $70 by 2030 (Coinpedia), but near-term price action depends on whether it can break above $3.40. Also, keep an eye on the upcoming validator vote about reducing annual inflation to 2.5%. If approved, this could reduce token supply and support price stability, especially as institutional products like Bitwise’s staking ETP gain traction.

What is the latest news about NEAR?

NEAR Protocol is making significant technological advances and growing its ecosystem, even as it faces challenges in the market. Here are the key updates:

1. 1 Million Transactions Per Second (TPS) Milestone (December 8, 2025) – NEAR achieved 1 million TPS in a test setting, surpassing Visa’s peak transaction speed.
2. Launch of AI Cloud (December 3, 2025) – Privacy-focused AI tools are now used by over 100 million people through platforms like Brave Browser.
3. New Travel Platform Launch (December 5, 2025) – TravAI, an AI-powered travel booking service, automates cryptocurrency payments on NEAR Intents.

In-Depth Look

1. 1 Million TPS Milestone (December 8, 2025)

What happened: NEAR Protocol demonstrated it can handle 1 million transactions per second by using 70 shards on Google Cloud. This is much faster than Visa’s top speed of 65,000 TPS. Currently, NEAR’s main network runs with 9 shards, but this test shows the potential for much greater scalability, especially for AI and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

Why it matters: This achievement puts NEAR among the fastest Layer 1 blockchains, making it attractive for developers building complex, high-demand apps. However, actual speeds with smart contracts on the live network will be lower.
(Source: Coinspeaker)

2. Launch of AI Cloud (December 3, 2025)

What happened: The NEAR Foundation introduced an AI Cloud and Private Chat service that uses Intel and NVIDIA technology to keep user data secure in trusted environments. Early adopters include Brave Browser and Phala Network.

Why it matters: By focusing on AI privacy, NEAR is carving out a niche in user-controlled AI services. Integration with platforms that have over 100 million users could boost activity on the NEAR network, even though NEAR’s token price remains below $1.82.
(Source: Coinspeaker)

3. New Travel Platform Launch (December 5, 2025)

What happened: NEAR partnered with UAE’s ADI Chain to launch TravAI, an AI-powered travel agent that handles cross-chain crypto payments using NEAR Intents. The platform is aimed at businesses and frequent travelers, offering seamless crypto bookings.

Why it matters: This use case expands how NEAR Intents can be used beyond simple token swaps. However, with a waitlist still in place and NEAR’s token price down 32% over the past 90 days, there are risks around how quickly this platform will gain traction.
(Source: Coinspeaker)

Conclusion

NEAR Protocol is delivering important technological breakthroughs—from record transaction speeds to privacy-focused AI services—despite struggling to convert these advances into price gains amid a volatile crypto market influenced by Bitcoin. The question remains whether growing institutional interest in NEAR’s innovative tools can help offset a 73% drop in its token price over the past year. Keep an eye on NEAR Intents’ transaction volume, which has surpassed $7 billion lifetime, and validator activity following the recent reduction in token inflation.

What is expected in the development of NEAR?

NEAR Protocol’s roadmap is focused on improving scalability, integrating artificial intelligence (AI), and expanding cross-chain capabilities.

1. Dynamic Sharding (2024–2025) – Completing Phase 3 to automatically adjust the number of shards based on network demand.
2. NEAR Intents Expansion (Ongoing) – Growing cross-chain token swaps to over $10 billion in volume.
3. AI Agent Infrastructure (Q1 2026) – Enhancing the Shade Agent Sandbox to help developers create AI-powered applications.
4. Governance Upgrades (Q1 2026) – Implementing new proposals to improve network governance and incentives.

Deep Dive

1. Dynamic Sharding (2024–2025)

Overview: NEAR’s Phase 3 sharding upgrade, planned for 2024, will allow the network to automatically increase or decrease the number of shards—smaller pieces of the blockchain that process transactions—based on how much demand there is. Recent tests showed the network can handle up to 1 million transactions per second using 70 shards on Google Cloud (NEAR Blog). Currently, the main network runs with 9 shards.

What this means: This upgrade is very positive for NEAR because it solves a major challenge: scaling the network to handle more users and apps without slowing down. This could attract developers building high-traffic decentralized apps (dApps). However, there’s a risk of delays as the team works to optimize the system for real-world smart contract use.

2. NEAR Intents Expansion (Ongoing)

Overview: NEAR Intents is a protocol that allows users to swap tokens across different blockchains. By December 2025, it had processed over $7 billion in total volume (NEAR Tweet). The team plans to add support for more blockchains like Litecoin and Polygon, as well as institutional platforms such as Ledger Wallet.

What this means: This is a moderately positive development. The growing volume shows more people are using NEAR for cross-chain swaps, which increases its utility. However, relying on other blockchains introduces some risks if those networks face issues.

3. AI Agent Infrastructure (Q1 2026)

Overview: After launching its AI Cloud in December 2025, NEAR is expanding the Shade Agent Sandbox, a developer tool that makes it easier to build AI-powered applications that can be verified on the blockchain. Partnerships like TravAI, an AI-based travel booking platform, demonstrate practical uses (Coinspeaker).

What this means: This is a strong positive for NEAR, as integrating AI sets it apart from many other blockchain platforms. Success depends on making AI tools accessible to developers who may not have deep technical expertise.

4. Governance Upgrades (Q1 2026)

Overview: The House of Stake decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) passed its first binding proposals in November 2025. These include incentives for validators (network maintainers) and rewards for veNEAR token holders. Future votes may focus on reducing inflation (now down to 2.5% annually) and managing the network’s treasury (NEAR Tweet).

What this means: This is a neutral update. Improved governance can help stabilize NEAR’s economy and encourage participation, but progress could be slowed if voters are uninterested or if proposals become controversial.

Conclusion

NEAR Protocol’s roadmap balances key areas: improving scalability through dynamic sharding, expanding cross-chain token swaps with NEAR Intents, and innovating with AI-powered applications. The big question is whether NEAR can keep attracting developers and users amid strong competition from Ethereum Layer 2 solutions and Solana. Keep an eye on updates in early 2026 about sharding improvements and AI adoption.

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What updates are there in the NEAR code base?

NEAR Protocol’s latest updates focus on integrating AI, improving cross-chain scalability, and enhancing economic features.

1. AI Cloud Launch (Dec 3, 2025) – Privacy-first AI tools secured by advanced hardware.
2. Inflation Halving (Oct 28, 2025) – Annual token emissions cut in half to reduce inflation.
3. House of Stake (Oct 31, 2025) – AI-powered governance for quicker decision-making.

Deep Dive

1. AI Cloud Launch (Dec 3, 2025)

Overview: NEAR rolled out AI Cloud and Private Chat services using Intel TDX and NVIDIA Confidential Computing. These technologies create secure, isolated environments where user data stays encrypted and under user control.

This update allows developers to build AI applications and decentralized apps (dApps) that guarantee privacy. It’s especially useful for industries like healthcare and finance, where data security is critical, expanding NEAR’s reach beyond just decentralized finance (DeFi).

What this means: This is a positive development for NEAR. By focusing on privacy-first AI infrastructure, NEAR attracts developers who need secure and scalable solutions. (Source)

2. Inflation Halving (Oct 28, 2025)

Overview: NEAR’s validators approved a protocol upgrade (version 81) that cut the annual token inflation rate from 5% to 2.5%. Node operators updated to nearcore v2.9.0 to implement this change.

This is NEAR’s first inflation halving, designed to reduce the pressure to sell tokens and better align incentives for long-term holders and DeFi users.

What this means: This change is generally positive but depends on continued network growth. Lower inflation can improve the token’s value over time, but only if the network remains active enough to support validator rewards. (Source)

3. House of Stake (Oct 31, 2025)

Overview: The new House of Stake framework introduces AI delegates that help manage governance by automating proposal reviews and resource distribution.

Built on NEAR’s upgraded consensus system, these AI agents analyze validator proposals quickly, cutting decision times from weeks to just hours.

What this means: This is a strong positive for NEAR. Faster governance processes can speed up innovation while keeping the network decentralized. (Source)

Conclusion

NEAR Protocol’s recent updates show a clear focus on AI integration, sustainable token economics, and efficient governance. With privacy-focused AI tools now available and inflation reduced, the key question is whether NEAR can keep up its developer momentum through 2025 and beyond.

Why did the price of NEAR go up?

NEAR Protocol (NEAR) increased by 4.4% in the last 24 hours, outperforming the overall crypto market, which rose by 2.7%. This growth is driven by positive technical signals, a significant milestone in scalability, and expanding ecosystem activity.

1. Technical Breakout: NEAR’s price moved above important moving averages, supported by strong momentum indicators.
2. 1 Million TPS Achievement: A testnet reached 1 million transactions per second, boosting confidence in NEAR’s ability to scale.
3. Ecosystem Expansion: New partnerships in AI and cross-chain connections are increasing NEAR’s real-world use.

Deep Dive

1. Technical Rebound (Positive Signal)

Overview: NEAR’s price has moved back above its 7-day simple moving average ($1.76) and 30-day exponential moving average ($1.97), showing short-term strength. The MACD indicator turned positive, and the RSI moved out of oversold levels, suggesting buyers are stepping in.

What this means: Traders see the price moving above $1.74 as a sign that accumulation is happening after a period of decline. However, resistance is expected near $2.07 and $2.77, which are key technical levels.

What to watch: If NEAR can stay above $1.85, it may aim for $2.00. But if it falls below $1.74 again, selling pressure could increase.

2. Scalability Milestone (Positive Signal)

Overview: NEAR’s test network recently processed 1 million transactions per second using 70 validators, beating Visa’s peak transaction rate (Coinspeaker).

What this means: Although the main NEAR network currently operates with 9 shards, this test shows the potential for NEAR to handle large-scale applications, especially in AI and decentralized finance (DeFi). This supports NEAR’s goal to become an “AI-native blockchain,” a concept gaining attention in late 2025.

3. Ecosystem Growth (Mixed Signals)

Overview: New projects like TravAI (an AI-powered travel booking platform), NEAR AI Cloud, and integration with Kalshi’s prediction market have expanded NEAR’s practical uses. The cross-chain protocol NEAR Intents has surpassed $7 billion in swap volume.

What this means: While adoption is growing, NEAR’s price is still 72% below its peak in 2024. A recent reduction in inflation (from 5% to 2.5% over 30 days) may reduce selling pressure over time but hasn’t yet shifted the overall negative market sentiment.

Conclusion

NEAR’s recent price increase reflects a combination of technical recovery and optimism about its scalability plans. However, broader market challenges, such as Bitcoin’s dominance at 58.5% and weakness in alternative cryptocurrencies, remain. The key factor to watch is whether the growth in NEAR Intents’ transaction volume will lead to increased fee revenue, which could support NEAR’s strategy of “chain abstraction.”