Solana Hackathon TOP 3, CAI | CharacterX will launch unrestricted AI infrastructure services
In the AI era, infrastructure is like the roads and bridges of the digital world, and what we are building is a highway leading to the infinite possibilities of AI.
Author: CAI | CharacterX
The moment the Solana hackathon announced the winners, the entire studio exploded with excitement. "CAI | CharacterX's CEO Gieno recalled, "This is not only a recognition of our technical strength but also validates our core belief—that the future of AI will be unrestricted."
Choosing to Go Against the Tide
In 2023, with the explosive popularity of ChatGPT, the AI field received unprecedented attention. However, in this blue ocean, entrepreneurs quickly encountered a common challenge: the heavy restrictions of centralized large models made it difficult for many innovative applications to take off.
"At that time, we were thinking that if we really wanted to serve users well, we needed to have our own model," Gieno said. This decision was bound to be difficult—it meant going solo in a race filled with global tech giants. But for the CAI ( | CharacterX) team, this choice felt inevitable.
Ye, the team's Web3 lead, understood the importance of decentralization and permissionlessness for a Web3 project, based on his deep experience with MetaMask; while Jeremy, the AI lead, had served millions of users at Ant Group and understood every detail of large-scale deployment.
It was this team background that gave them the courage to face challenges head-on.
From 0 to 5 Million Users
"When we released the first test version, to be honest, we weren't sure how the market would react," recalled an early developer from CAI | CharacterX. But what happened next surprised the entire team.
In less than a year, CAI | CharacterX attracted over 5 million users, with daily active users exceeding 200,000, and each user spending an average of 52 minutes on the platform daily.
Behind these numbers lies not only recognition of the project but also a strong market demand for unrestricted AI.
Investors' Insight
Such achievements quickly caught the attention of top investment firms. In January 2024, CAI | CharacterX completed a $2.8 million seed round financing at a valuation of $30 million. The investors included Lightspeed Capital and other well-known institutions like INCE Capital.
"We are not only optimistic about CAI | CharacterX's growth data but also their deep thinking about AI infrastructure," commented a representative from one of the investing institutions. "In the AI field, teams that can truly build infrastructure are rare, and CAI | CharacterX has precisely seized this opportunity."
Ecosystem Layout and Strategic Cooperation
CAI's development is not limited to technological innovation but is also reflected in its extensive ecosystem layout. Since its launch, we have established deep cooperative relationships with several key ecosystems in the Web3 space:
In terms of public chain ecosystem layout, CAI has established deep cooperation with several important platforms. As the largest AI project in the Solana ecosystem, we hope to achieve a strategic partnership with the Solana Foundation in the future; at the same time, we plan to provide AI infrastructure support for the rapidly rising Scroll and explore AI application scenarios in emerging public chain ecosystems together with Bera.
On the strategic cooperation front, we are collaborating with Oraichain to work on AI data verification and smart contract integration. Additionally, we are preparing to work with Carv to delve into identity and data analysis in the Web3 gaming sector and join forces with Distilled AI to promote the optimization and application development of AI models, collectively building a more robust AI infrastructure ecosystem.
"These partnerships not only reflect the industry's recognition of CAI's technical strength but also showcase our depth of layout in the Web3 AI infrastructure field," Ye explained. "Every partnership is carefully considered, aimed at enriching our ecosystem and providing more possibilities for users and developers."
Depth of Technological Innovation
What sets CAI | CharacterX apart is their relentless pursuit of technology. The team conducts deep optimization and customized development based on Llama, focusing particularly on deployment efficiency and cost control while ensuring model capabilities.
"Technological innovation is not about innovating for the sake of innovation," Jeremy explained. "We are considering how to make AI technology truly serve more users and enterprises. For example, our proud 7-day deployment framework is the result of repeated optimizations."
Market Development and Opportunities
Currently, the global AI market is experiencing explosive growth. According to authoritative institutions, the market size is expected to reach $15.7 trillion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 27%. In this context, CAI | CharacterX's layout becomes increasingly significant.
"Our vision has never been just to create an AI application," Ye emphasized. "What we want to build is the infrastructure that truly brings AI to the masses." This vision is being validated by the market—multiple top exchanges have already begun discussions with CAI | CharacterX regarding their planned TGE in Q4 2024.
A Promising Future
Today, CAI | CharacterX has grown from a newcomer in the Solana ecosystem to an important player in the Web3 AI field. But for the team, this is just the beginning.
"In the AI era, infrastructure is like the roads and bridges of the digital world," Gieno envisioned the future, "what we are building is a highway to the infinite possibilities of AI."
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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