Near Protocol Launches AI Staking For Compute Credits

NEAR Protocol has rolled out a new staking mechanism for its AI platform, letting users stake NEAR tokens to access AI compute services rather than spending tokens outright. The feature marks a notable step in the protocol's push to position itself as core infrastructure for onchain AI activity.

How the Staking Mechanism Works

Under the new system, staked NEAR tokens are converted into compute credits that can be used to pay for AI services. Crucially, users do not lose their tokens in the process. Once they are done, they can unstake and receive their NEAR back in full. All payments are settled onchain, keeping the process transparent and verifiable.

The feature provides users with compute credits to access 43 models on NEAR AI across several providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. The breadth of model coverage signals that NEAR is targeting a wide range of AI use cases rather than locking users into a narrow set of tools.

Part of a Broader AI Infrastructure Push

The AI staking launch fits into a wider strategic shift at NEAR. NEAR rolled out a suite of AI-focused products in 2026, including automatic PII anonymization for AI prompts, meaning that when an AI agent processes a user's request, personally identifiable information gets scrubbed before it ever touches inference infrastructure.

The protocol has also been expanding its privacy tooling. NEAR AI launched IronClaw, an open-source and verifiable AI agent runtime built in Rust and deployed inside an encrypted Trusted Execution Environment on NEAR AI Cloud, designed to enable autonomous agents with built-in privacy safeguards and controlled access to user assets and data.

NEAR's co-founder Illia Polosukhin has characterized the protocol as fundamental infrastructure for handling AI-driven commerce and execution. The new AI staking feature reinforces that thesis by creating a direct, token-based economic link between NEAR holders and AI compute demand. Tying AI access to a staking model rather than a direct spend model could encourage longer-term token lock-up while still giving users full utility from their holdings.

The move comes as competition in the onchain AI space intensifies, with protocols racing to offer credible, privacy-preserving alternatives to centralised AI providers.

Sources:
Crypto Briefing: NEAR Protocol targets AI-driven commerce with new products and tokenomics improvements
CoinDesk: Near Protocol to automate its own growth