Lastest updates on near ecosystem
Key Points
- It seems likely that NEAR has recently focused on AI integration, launching an AI Assistant in alpha and a Research Hub for open-source AI models.
- Research suggests NEAR upgraded its Intents feature with passkey login and OTC trading, enhancing user experience.
- The evidence leans toward NEAR hosting a successful One Trillion Agents Hackathon, with significant developer participation.
- There’s a claim of 3 million daily active addresses, but it couldn’t be verified, so take it with caution.
Recent Developments
The NEAR ecosystem has seen exciting updates, particularly in AI and user accessibility. Here’s a breakdown for a clearer picture:
AI Integration and Innovation
NEAR is pushing hard into AI, launching the NEAR AI Assistant in alpha, which can do more than just chat—it can launch memecoins, search the web, and is set to handle tasks like booking flights or ordering food soon. They’ve also started the NEAR AI Research Hub, aiming to build a massive 1.4 trillion parameter open-source AI model, making AI more accessible and user-owned.
Enhanced User Experience with NEAR Intents
NEAR upgraded its Intents feature, adding passkey login for easier, more secure authentication and OTC trading for direct peer-to-peer asset swaps. This makes using NEAR smoother, especially for those new to crypto, by reducing the hassle of managing private keys.
Community and Developer Engagement
NEAR recently wrapped up the One Trillion Agents Hackathon, with nearly 2,000 developers joining in, showcasing its growing developer community. They also announced $4 million in pre-seed funding for Cypher Lending, powered by TemplarProtocol, to boost decentralized finance within the ecosystem.
Unverified Claim on Daily Active Addresses
There’s a mention online that NEAR hit 3 million daily active addresses, just below Solana, but we couldn’t confirm this through official sources, so it’s worth approaching with caution.
These updates show NEAR’s focus on blending AI with blockchain and making it user-friendly, which might be unexpected for those used to traditional blockchain focuses like DeFi alone.
Detailed Survey Note: Comprehensive Analysis of NEAR Ecosystem Updates
The NEAR ecosystem, a layer-1 blockchain known for its scalability and user-friendly features, has undergone significant developments, particularly in early 2025, with a strong emphasis on AI integration, enhanced transaction models, and community engagement. This note provides a detailed examination of the latest updates, drawing from various sources including official announcements, news articles, and social media activity on X, ensuring a thorough understanding for stakeholders and enthusiasts alike.
AI Integration: NEAR AI Assistant and Research Hub
NEAR has positioned itself as "the blockchain for AI," with notable advancements in this space. The NEAR AI Assistant was launched in alpha, as announced in a blog post on November 10, 2024 (Expanding NEAR AI Assistant Alpha). This assistant is designed to go beyond traditional AI chatbots by performing actionable tasks, such as launching memecoins and searching the web for purchases, with plans to expand to booking flights and ordering takeaway food on Web2 sites, as highlighted in a Cointelegraph article on November 11, 2024 (Near’s Crosschain AI Assistant). It operates across both Web2 and Web3 environments, emphasizing user privacy and empowerment, with user-specific memory to tailor responses and create custom interfaces.
Complementing this, the NEAR AI Research Hub was launched to foster decentralized AI model development, with a goal to create a 1.4 trillion parameter model, as detailed in a blog post on November 10, 2024 (NEAR AI Research Hub Launch). This hub aims to coordinate researchers globally, starting with monthly competitions on a 0.5 billion parameter model, ensuring open-source access and challenging centralized AI labs. A Medium article from February 25, 2025, further elaborated on this, noting the hub’s role in making frontier AI models accessible and privacy-preserving (NEAR AI Launches Research Hub).
Transaction Model Enhancements: NEAR Intents Upgrade
NEAR Intents, a novel transaction model allowing users to declare desired outcomes for solvers to fulfill, received a significant upgrade announced on March 11, 2025, via an X post from
@NEARProtocol
(NEAR Intents Upgrade). This upgrade introduced passkey login for seamless authentication, addressing the challenge of managing private keys, and over-the-counter (OTC) trading for direct peer-to-peer asset exchanges. A detailed blog post on March 10, 2025, explained that this was unveiled at ETHDenver 2025, enhancing cross-chain interactions and user control (Expanding NEAR Intents). This move aligns with NEAR’s vision of autonomous, user-controlled finance, making it easier for newcomers and experienced users alike.Community and Developer Engagement: Hackathons and Funding
NEAR’s developer community saw a boost with the One Trillion Agents Hackathon, announced in an X post on March 12, 2025, and concluded with winners announced on March 15, 2025 (Hackathon Winners). Nearly 2,000 developers participated, focusing on AI agent development, with over $100,000 in prizes distributed, many leveraging
@BitteProtocol
. Additionally, a Useful Agent Hackathon was held on March 14, 2025, in San Francisco, offering $20,000 in prizes, sponsored by SF Compute and Electric Capital, as noted in another X post on March 12, 2025 (Useful Agent Hackathon).Funding news included a $4 million pre-seed raise for Cypher Lending, powered by TemplarProtocol, announced on March 13, 2025, via X, aiming to revitalize Bitcoin’s cypherpunk ethos (Cypher Lending Funding). These initiatives underscore NEAR’s commitment to fostering innovation and attracting talent.
Metrics and Unverified Claims
A notable claim from an X post on March 15, 2025, by
@btc_einstein
suggested NEAR exceeded 3 million daily active addresses, just below Solana (Daily Addresses Claim). However, efforts to verify this through official sources like NearBlocks.io (Near Protocol Explorer) and analytics platforms such as TradingView (Coins with Most Daily Active Addresses) were unsuccessful, as NEAR was not listed in available data. This claim remains unconfirmed, and users should approach it with caution, especially given the lack of corroboration from trusted metrics providers.Technical and Ecosystem Growth
Other updates include NEAR’s focus on scalability, with mentions in X posts of recent protocol upgrades like NEAR Core v2.3.0, doubling transactions per second (TPS) per shard under peak load, as noted by
@BNB_Hixon
on March 10, 2025 (Protocol Upgrade). Developer tools, with 57 GitHub repositories and weekly livestreams reaching 15,000 viewers, were also highlighted, indicating a vibrant ecosystem (Developer Tools).Historical Context and Positioning
NEAR’s sharded proof-of-stake architecture, Nightshade, and community-driven governance via the NEAR Digital Collective (NDC) continue to support its scalability, with transaction costs under $0.01 and 2-second block finality. Its focus on AI, as seen in events like ETHDenver 2025 and partnerships like with Alibaba Cloud, positions it as a leader in cross-chain and AI-driven applications, as noted in various articles (State of NEAR Q2 2024).
Comparative Analysis
Compared to other blockchains, NEAR’s AI focus is distinctive, with competitors like Solana and Ethereum also exploring AI but not to the same extent in user-owned models. The integration of AI agents, as seen in the hackathon, is a forward-looking strategy, potentially setting NEAR apart in the evolving blockchain landscape.
Tables for Clarity
Below is a table summarizing key updates and their dates:
Update Type | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
AI Assistant Launch | Alpha launch with actionable tasks | Nov 2024 |
AI Research Hub Launch | 1.4T parameter model goal, competitions started | Nov 2024 |
NEAR Intents Upgrade | Passkey login, OTC trading added | Mar 11, 2025 |
One Trillion Agents Hackathon | Nearly 2,000 devs, $100k+ prizes | Mar 15, 2025 |
Cypher Lending Funding | $4m pre-seed for decentralized finance | Mar 13, 2025 |
Another table for developer engagement metrics, where available:
Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
Daily Active Addresses | Claimed 3M (unverified) | X post by @btc_einstein |
Developer Participants | Nearly 2,000 (hackathon) | X post by @NEARProtocol |
GitHub Repositories | 57 | X post by @BNB_Hixon |
Weekly Livestream Viewers | 15,000 | X post by @BNB_Hixon |
These updates collectively illustrate NEAR’s strategic direction toward AI and user-centric blockchain solutions, with ongoing efforts to verify metrics like daily active addresses recommended for future analysis.
Key Citations
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