The Smartphone Strategy

With over 7 billion devices worldwide, over 1.5 billion of which come equipped with AI-accelerated chips, powerful processors, and a large array of sensors, smartphones are the perfect candidates for building decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN).

DePINs, which can be described as the Uber and Airbnb of digital and physical infrastructure, harness the power of blockchain technology to crowdsource and tokenize digital (storage, computer, network) and physical infrastructure (sensors, telecommunication, robots, etc.), enabling a decentralized and democratized approach to infrastructure management. Therefore, scalability potential is most important for DePINs.

Smartphones offer unmatched scalability for decentralized applications. Onboarding a device to a network is as simple as installing an app. Unlike purpose-built hardware, this approach allows users to become part of the network immediately and without any upfront costs, effectively lowering the barrier to entry to nearly zero.

Smartphones are equipped with a wide range of sensors that enable real-time data capture and processing. Furthermore, the prevalence of AI-accelerated chips in smartphones allows for efficient on-device AI processing, providing valuable insights and the ability to develop a wide range of driver-assistant suites without relying on external infrastructure. To be more specific, any Apple iOS device equipped with an Apple Bionic chip (iPhone XS or newer) has such capability. Samsung, Huawei, Google, and other brands are also providing mobile AI chips in their devices.

NATIX Network opts for a smartphone-led approach over hardware-centric solutions for its initial go-to-market strategy. Hardware-dedicated solutions require an initial investment, and hardware solutions are bottlenecked by supply chain and logistic challenges.

By opting for smartphones over custom hardware, NATIX ensures its products are user-friendly, accessible, and, most importantly, scalable. Smartphone cameras are crucial for crowdsourcing real-time data, creating a digital twin of our world, and bringing the vision of decentralized technology into practical, everyday use.