Solana DePIN Ecosystem: How Can Ordinary People Easily Make Money from Mining to Map Collection?

Among the many innovations in the blockchain industry, the decentralized physical infrastructure network ( DePIN ) is rapidly rising, becoming a bridge for real-world assets to be brought on-chain. Whether it's shared GPUs, telecommunications networks, or street map collection, DePIN is reshaping the construction and operation of infrastructure through cryptographic incentive mechanisms. Solana, with its high-performance network, is gradually becoming the core platform of this trend, providing an ideal breeding ground for DePIN projects.

This article is based on the latest research report, providing an in-depth analysis of the development status, market performance, and on-chain data of several core DePIN projects on Solana. The data is up to April 22, 2025, offering us a clear picture of this emerging ecosystem and revealing its real and verifiable growth trajectory.

The Concept of DePIN and the Advantages of Solana

What is DePIN?

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network ( DePIN ) is an innovative model that utilizes cryptocurrency incentive mechanisms to launch and operate real-world infrastructure. These projects typically target markets with strong demand but inefficient supply, activating idle resources ( such as unused GPUs, wireless bandwidth, etc. Unlike traditional infrastructure models dominated by large enterprises, DePIN allocates ownership to individuals, thereby improving efficiency, enhancing resilience, and expanding accessibility.

) Why choose Solana?

Solana has become an ideal platform for the transparent scaling of DePIN applications due to its high throughput, low transaction fees, and composable infrastructure. Its thriving ecosystem and strong developer community are making it a hub in this emerging field. As the head of DePIN at a certain foundation stated:

"DePIN is about to reach escape velocity. This innovative business model has proven its ability to scale physical infrastructure networks faster and cheaper in a community-driven manner - all happening on Solana. The world's largest DePIN projects choose to build on Solana because of its high performance and active capital markets, and due to its thriving community ecosystem."

DePIN Market Overview

As of April 2025, the total market capitalization of global DePIN projects listed on chains is ###, excluding independent projects L1/chains (, which has reached 7.1 billion USD. Among them, the total market capitalization of DePIN projects on Solana is 3.25 billion USD, leading EVM ) at 2.84 billion USD ( and Cosmos ) at 1.6525 billion USD (, Cardano ) at 1.1952 billion USD (, and Sora ) at 1.1601 billion USD ( among other blockchain platforms.

Based on the average market value of each project, Solana leads again with $191.3 million, followed by Cardano $197.6 million, Cosmos $193.2 million, Sora $180.1 million, and EVM $140.6 million.

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) Project Category Distribution

The DePIN project is mainly divided into five categories:

• (Compute): Holds a market share of 71.2%, providing decentralized processing power, GPU, and computing infrastructure, such as Render, io.net, Nosana, LooPIN Network, Hivello.
• (Wireless): Holds a market share of 22.2%, providing community-driven wireless and mobile access networks, such as Helium, ROAM Token, Helium Mobile.
• Sensor(: Collect real-world data through distributed sensing devices, such as Hivemapper, Geodnet, WeatherXM, NATIX Network.
• Server )Server (: Provides distributed cloud and storage servers for hosting or accessing data, such as Shadow Token, ScPrime.
• AI: A decentralized network supporting AI data generation, labeling, or robotics technology, such as UpRock, Homebrew Robotics Club

The computing and wireless categories together account for 93.4% of the market share, and are also the categories with the highest average market capitalization. Computing networks like Render and io.net provide high market cap utility tokens for AI workloads, while wireless projects like Helium and ROAM represent the most mature and widely adopted infrastructure layers.

![Solana DePIN Report: From "Mining" to "Maps", How Can Ordinary People Make Money Easily?])https://img-cdn.gateio.im/webp-social/moments-d74e1199ac96efe6b83bf7fa0ecab4bb.webp###

( Node Growth and Network Participation

As of April 22, 2025, the total number of registered on-chain nodes for DePIN projects on Solana has reached 238,165. DePIN nodes are physical or digital infrastructure units, such as GPUs, IoT hotspots, or dash cameras, that perform essential network functions like computing, data collection, or wireless transmission. The growth in the number of nodes reflects the scale, decentralization, and practicality of the network; more nodes typically mean stronger coverage, higher engagement, and reliability.

In terms of node growth, the Solana DePIN project shows significant changes. Hivemapper initially led, but Helium quickly surpassed it after the launch of Helium Mobile, now capturing over 60% of the new node share. Although Render contributes fewer new nodes, it leads in revenue per node. Nosana gained traction in early 2025, while Uprock stabilized after rapid growth at the end of 2024.

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) On-chain network income

With the maturation of the cryptocurrency industry, on-chain revenue has become a key indicator for assessing project feasibility, product-market fit, and sustainable business models. As of April 22, 2025, the total on-chain revenue of DePIN projects on Solana has reached $5.98 million.

The revenue of DePIN projects on Solana has been steadily increasing, growing from about $4,000 per week in April 2023 to over $100,000 per week by early 2025, peaking at $130,000 in mid-April. Helium is the highest weekly earner, reaching $60,000 with a 60% share, while Render leads in total revenue with $2.65 million, compared to Helium's $2.3 million. Render also maintains the record for a single-week revenue peak of $300,000 set at the end of 2024. These trends highlight the rising adoption rate, with each project gaining traction at different points in the DePIN growth cycle.

Main Project Analysis

( 1. Helium: The leader of decentralized wireless networks

Helium is a decentralized wireless network that enables individuals to deploy hotspots and provide low-cost, secure connectivity for IoT and mobile devices. Users earn HNT token rewards by expanding coverage and routing data.

Important Milestone:

• 2013: Helium was established
• 2019: Helium hotspot launched, users began earning HNT due to coverage.
• 2023: Migration to Solana for improved scalability and speed
• 2024: Public launch of Helium Mobile, a decentralized 5G service
• 2025: Launch of Zero Plan, the first free 5G mobile plan in the United States
• 2025: A regulatory agency withdraws its lawsuit against Nova Labs, confirming that Helium's token model does not violate securities laws.
• 2025: Helium collaborates with a telecom giant to provide nationwide Wi-Fi coverage

Key Data:

• Total subscribed users: 176,301
• Total nodes: 69,449
• Total on-chain revenue: 2.29 million USD

The growth of Helium's subscription users is influenced by clear product-driven inflection points. In January 2024, within a week of the official launch of Helium Mobile, new subscription users reached 10,300, facilitating the deployment of more hotspots and network expansion. Subsequently, the Zero Plan), the first free 5G mobile plan in the U.S. launched in February 2025, triggered a second wave of growth, quickly filling the waiting list. After the free plan was opened to everyone in April, the number of users peaked again at 10,000.

As of the reporting period, Helium's total number of subscribed users has reached 176,301, and the total number of nodes is 69,449. The composition of nodes shows a continuously changing trend, with the mobile data dedicated category growing particularly strong. The report points out that two major events drove the peak in node deployment. The first is a partnership in October 2024, which added more than 100,000 data-only hotspots at retail and commercial sites in the United States; the second is the acceleration of user growth after the cancellation of the Zero Plan waiting list in April 2025.

Helium generates on-chain revenue through its unique burn-mint model, allowing users to convert HNT into non-transferable data credits ### DCs ( to access services on its IoT and mobile networks. Specifically, mobile data is charged at $0.50 per gigabyte ) or 50,000 DCs ###, while IoT usage is charged in increments per 24-byte message. Company revenue has steadily grown, setting a record of $66,000 per week in December 2024 and reaching a sustained peak of $63,000 per week again in April 2025.

( 2. Hivemapper: Decentralized Map Network

Hivemapper is a decentralized, community-driven map network where users collect street-level images through dashcams to earn HONEY token rewards. By transforming everyday driving into a data source, Hivemapper provides fresher and more dynamic maps for fields such as transportation, logistics, and autonomous driving.

Important Milestone:

• 2022: Launched the Hivemapper network and HONEY token
• 2023: The unique road mileage of network mapping exceeds 1 million
• 2024: Launch of the Bee dashcam for high-quality image capture
• 2024: Release Beekeeper, a fleet management tool with no SaaS lock-in.
• 2025: Bee Maps begins to provide services for certain major clients.

Key Data:

• Total number of nodes: 77,483
• Weekly rewards: over $60,000 HONEY

As of April 2025, the network has 77,483 nodes, most of which are active in AI training and bounty activities; however, less than 10% of the nodes receive rewards for map coverage. Although Hivemapper's weekly rewards have decreased from a peak of $1.4 million in December 2023, the network still distributes over $60,000 worth of HONEY tokens weekly. It is worth noting that while less than 10% of the nodes actively contribute to map coverage, these nodes consistently receive about 80% of the total rewards.

![Solana DePIN Report: From "Mining" to "Map", How Can Ordinary People Make Money Easily?])https://img-cdn.gateio.im/webp-social/moments-9e22942e850a24d489e96b022891af4f.webp(

Hivemapper generates revenue by selling Map Credits) each worth $0.005###, which are purchased by burning HONEY tokens for access to map data. Revenue trends show a peak of $30,000 per week by the end of 2023, surpassing $50,000 per week during April to May 2024.

( 3. Render: Decentralized GPU Rendering Network

Render Network is a high-performance distributed GPU rendering network that leverages industry-leading software to facilitate a computational marketplace between GPU providers and requesters. GPU owners can monetize their idle GPUs by providing computing power to creators seeking rendering resources. It offers scalable and cost-effective rendering services for 3D graphics, dynamic design, and AI workloads.

**Important