Render Network empowers artists, engineers, designers, and developers in various GPU applications, including Augmented reality, Visual Effects, Motion Graphics, Artificial intelligence, and many more.
The network has facilitated the creation of works ranging from blockbuster TV shows and films to large-scale stadium graphics and some of the most iconic 3D Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collections.
How it works
Render Network aggregates dormant GPU supply from different sources, such as crypto mining farms, data centers, and even home PCs.
This circumvents the need to acquire costly hardware or rent out dedicated instances from cloud providers, often with long wait times and unfavorable terms. The result is a peer-to-peer network that provides creators with on-demand computing power supplied by nodes across the globe.
There are two types of participants: those who utilize the network (Creators) and those who provide the computing power (Nodes). Whenever creators request a job to the network, be it 3D rendering, AI model training or inference, dedicated nodes are chosen based on their reputation.
The network employs a 3-tier system, allowing creators to select the delivery speed, quality, and associated costs based on their preferences.
When the Creator has chosen the Tier for his work, the request is sent to the appropriate nodes. These nodes perform the job across the network in parallel at a near-unlimited scale without dependencies on local software.
Architecture
The infrastructure of the Render network consists of 2 primary layers:
- The off-chain rendering layer includes everything associated with the Creators (users), Nodes(GPU suppliers), the Render Network itself, and rendering application layer vendors.
- The Blockchain layer ensures a seamless and transparent flow of value ($RENDER token and Render credits) between the involved parties through smart contracts and escrow accounts.
Render initially ran on Ethereum but encountered a common issue that many other projects have encountered—low throughput and high costs associated with EVM chains.
In search of a better platform, the project landed on Solana, which possesses high TPS, low transaction fees, and advancements in NFT compression, making it the ideal choice for rendering jobs.
Tokenomics
The migration to Solana also meant creating a token on the Solana blockchain called $RENDER, which can be redeemed against $RNDRat a 1:1 rate indefinitely. The maximum theoretical supply is 644,245,094 tokens, while the circulating supply currently sits at around 386,976,473.
The token’s primary use case is facilitating payments between stakeholders—the Creators and Providers—through the Burn and Mint Equilibrium (BME) mechanism.
BME stands out as a unique mechanism that determines the cost of services based on the balance between supply and demand, allowing creators to predict rendering and AI job expenses while helping node operators provide computing services efficiently.
Team
Render Network was founded by Jules Urbach, an industry veteran who created the web’s first 3D video game platform and licensed the software to Macromedia, Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Microsoft, Hasbro, and AT&T.
The parent company, OTOY Inc., specializes in cloud graphics solutions for media and entertainment. The advisory board for OTOY includes prominent tech industry figures, such as Brendan Eich, the founder of Brave Software, and Sam Palmisano, a former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of IBM.
The team’s extensive background in graphics and 3D rendering, coupled with an advisory board filled with top tech talent, signals a huge vote of confidence in the project's ability to succeed.
DePIN pioneer
Established in 2017, Render Network stands strong as a pioneer in decentralized cloud computing. The project initially aimed to address the challenge of hardware accessibility in 3D rendering.
Since then, the network has expanded its scope to include the growing AI industry and its impact on the availability of GPUs, or rather, the shortage of them.
A few notable industry projects, including io.net, Nosana, and Prime Intellect, have partnered with Render Network as External clients, bolstering their infrastructure and establishing Render Network as a key player within the growing decentralized cloud sector.
