Near update 24/2/2025

Key Points

• NEAR Protocol launched a $20 million AI Agent Fund to support AI development.
• NEAR is participating in ETH Denver 2025, focusing on AI agents, with events on February 27, 2025.
• The fund aims to invest in decentralized AI use cases and consumer solutions.

Overview

The NEAR ecosystem, a blockchain platform for decentralized applications, has seen significant recent developments, particularly in AI and developer support. One notable update is the launch of the NEAR AI Agent Fund, a $20 million initiative to scale autonomous AI agents on the NEAR platform. This fund, announced on February 6, 2025, will invest in agent tokens for novel AI use cases, such as gaming and market-making, and collaborate with ecosystems like Sky and Frax.

Additionally, NEAR is actively participating in ETH Denver 2025, hosting events like the NEAR Agent Games Day on February 27, 2025, to explore building AI agents, aligning with their goal of scaling to one trillion agents. This focus on AI integration is surprising given the ecosystem's traditional emphasis on scalability and developer tools, now expanding into cutting-edge AI applications.

Event Details

The ETH Denver 2025 event includes interactive games, networking, and insights into building projects within the NEAR ecosystem, with opportunities to connect with experts and gain hands-on experience with NEAR AI tools. For more details, visit the event page at this link.

---

Comprehensive Report on NEAR Ecosystem Updates

The NEAR ecosystem, centered around the NEAR Protocol, a layer-one blockchain designed for scalability, security, and simplicity, has recently undergone significant developments, particularly in the domains of artificial intelligence (AI) and developer support. This report provides a detailed analysis of the latest updates, drawing from various sources including official announcements, news articles, and community platforms, to offer a thorough understanding for stakeholders, developers, and enthusiasts.

Background on NEAR Ecosystem

The NEAR ecosystem comprises a network of developers, founders, and contributors building decentralized applications (dApps) on the NEAR Protocol. It supports initiatives through platforms like DevHub, a decentralized community for developers to share ideas and access funding, and Founder Hub, an early-stage accelerator for Web3 founders. The ecosystem is known for its sharding technology, Nightshade, and Proof of Stake consensus, enabling fast transactions and low costs, making it a competitive player against Ethereum and other smart contract blockchains.

Recent Developments in AI Integration

One of the most significant updates is the launch of the NEAR AI Agent Fund, announced on February 6, 2025, by the NEAR Foundation. This $20 million fund aims to scale the development of fully autonomous and verifiable AI agents built on NEAR technology. The fund will be deployed on-chain over the next few months, focusing on agent tokens that power novel decentralized AI use cases and mass market consumer solutions. Examples include agent tokenization, agent-curated order flow, fully on-chain gaming with AI characters, permissionless AI oracles, agent-curated savings accounts, financial entertainment, market maker agents, and social onboarding. This initiative complements existing programs like the Horizon AI accelerator cohorts and AI hackathons, positioning NEAR as a leader in the convergence of AI and blockchain.

The fund collaborates with other ecosystems such as Sky and Frax, leveraging developer tooling like NEAR Intents (NEAR Intents), Chain Signatures (Chain Signatures), and Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) (TEEs GitHub). This move is part of NEAR's broader strategy to attract developers by offering robust tools and funding, with resources available at this starting point.

Participation in ETH Denver 2025

Another key update is NEAR's participation in ETH Denver 2025, a community-owned innovation festival held from February 23 to March 2, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. Specifically, NEAR is hosting events on February 27, 2025, including the NEAR Agent Games Day, which focuses on interactive games, networking, and insights into building projects within the NEAR ecosystem. This event is part of the broader "Road to One Trillion Agents," emphasizing the scaling of autonomous systems. The event details include opportunities to earn up to $10,000/month through protocol rewards, with on-site team members available to answer questions, accessible via this rewards page and this Airtable. The general event page for NEAR at ETH Denver 2025 is available at this link, offering a multi-day celebration with keynotes, workshops, and community discussions on scaling decentralized AI.

Developer Support and Ecosystem Growth

NEAR continues to prioritize developer support, with recent mentions of NEAR Dev, potentially linked to the DevHub spinout, though specific details on its launch in early 2025 were not fully clarified. The ecosystem's commitment to decentralization is evident from spinouts like Aurora, Calimero, and Nuffle Labs, announced in August 2024, allowing teams to focus on core competencies and move autonomously. This decentralization enhances transparency and sustainability, fostering an antifragile ecosystem with collaborating and competing projects.

Community and Market Context

The NEAR community's engagement is reflected in platforms like NEARWeek, a Web3 news and community platform where members earn rewards by submitting news items, accessible at NEARWeek. Recent X posts from

@NEARProtocol

, such as the announcement of Shade Agents on February 21, 2025, and live coding sessions, highlight ongoing activity, with posts like this one introducing multichain AI-powered smart contracts. These developments underscore NEAR's focus on AI, surprising given its historical emphasis on scalability, now expanding into cutting-edge AI applications.

Comparative Analysis and Future Outlook

Compared to competitors like Ethereum and Solana, NEAR's focus on AI agents positions it uniquely in the market, especially with initiatives like the AI Agent Fund challenging established players. The fund's deployment and collaboration with other ecosystems suggest a strategic move to capture market share in decentralized AI, with potential impacts on developer adoption and user engagement. The ETH Denver 2025 events further amplify this, offering hands-on experience with NEAR AI tools, potentially attracting new developers and users.

Detailed Fund and Event Information

To provide a structured overview, here are the details of the NEAR AI Agent Fund and ETH Denver 2025 events:

Category	Details
Fund Name	NEAR AI Agent Fund
Amount	$20M
Focus	Autonomous, verifiable AI agents on NEAR technology
Deployment	On-chain, over next few months
Investment Areas	Agent tokens for AI use cases (gaming, market-making, oracles, etc.)
Collaborations	Sky, Frax, and more
Developer Tools	NEAR Intents, Chain Signatures, TEEs

Event	Date	Description	URL
NEAR Agent Games Day	Feb 27, 2025	Interactive games, networking, insights into NEAR projects	Event Page
Protocol Rewards Info	Feb 27, 2025	On-site support, potential earnings up to $10,000/month	Rewards , Airtable
General ETH Denver	Feb 25–27, 2025	Keynotes, workshops, demos on scaling decentralized AI	General Event

These updates reflect NEAR's strategic direction towards AI and developer empowerment, with potential to reshape the blockchain landscape in 2025.

Key Citations

• NEAR AI Agent Fund to Invest in Innovative Agent Tokens
• NEAR at ETH Denver 2025 Join the Road to One Trillion Agents
• NEAR Intents Introducing NEAR Intents
• Chain Signatures Mainnet Launches
• TEEs Private ML SDK GitHub
• NEAR Agent Games Day Event Page
• NEAR Protocol Rewards Information
• NEAR Protocol Rewards Airtable
• NEAR ETH Denver 2025 General Event
• NEARWeek Your weekly dose of news from the NEARverse