The United States hasn’t traditionally been the friendliest jurisdiction for blockchain startups. Last year, SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda publicly lambasted the agency for its handling of the industry under ex-Chair Gary Gensler, calling it a “disaster.” Thankfully, the winds of change have turned into a veritable typhoon and the old heavy-handed enforcement approach seems like a distant memory.
Regime change at the White House, and consequent musical chairs at the SEC, has made the United States far more appealing to both established Web3 firms already headquartered there (Coinbase, Circle, Block, Ripple) and fast-rising projects seeking to make their mark. Against the backdrop of a brightening regulatory landscape, here are three projects worth keeping a close eye on in 2025.
Space and Time (SxT)
LA-based decentralized data warehouse Space and Time is on a mission to power the future of DeFi and on-chain AI. Last year, the Microsoft-backed project unveiled the testnet of its own SXT Chain, conceived as the preeminent blockchain for ZK-proven data with the ability to index, sign, store, and reach consensus on data from major networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
It’s safe to say Space and Time’s momentum hasn’t slowed down since. With the rise of the agentic economy, it has joined forces with Heurist, a decentralized AI-as-a-Service cloud, with the goal of creating a trustless “Web3 intelligence layer.” Its ecosystem has also expanded by over 100 projects, while its community has surpassed half a million members. One of SxT’s overarching ambitions is to give AI-generated smart contracts the ability to natively access verified data on-chain, which could be a game-changer for the AI-driven DeFi market (DeFAI).
Io.net
io.net, based in New York, is also concerned with AI, even if it doesn’t create or safeguard models itself. Dubbed the Internet of GPUs, it is a decentralized physical infrastructure network (dePIN) that delivers cost-effective compute power, at scale, to machine learning engineers around the world.
Having raised $30 million in funding to date, the decentralized compute network has already established itself as one of the must-watch dePINs in Web3. Indeed, the market capitalization of its native token rose from $187.3 million in Q3 to $375.6m in Q4, driven by exploding demand for AI compute amid global chip shortages. Built atop Ray, an open-source framework for scaling AI and Python applications, io.net matches compute demand and supply based on factors such as geolocation and hardware specs, provisioning compute from underutilized sources like data centers and consumer GPUs.
Ambient
Sticking with the intersection of blockchain and AI, there is Ambient, a bold project with grand designs to facilitate super-intelligent yet cost-effective AI; a decentralized competitor to OpenAI, in other words. Having recently exited stealth mode, Ambient uses a Bitcoin-esque Proof-of-Work (PoW) system to achieve security while running more like Solana, and its vision has received the support of a16z, which backed the project to the tune of $7.2 million.
One of the best reasons to keep an eye on Ambient is its team; Cofounder and CEO Travis, a Harvard graduate and ex-Head of Machine Learning for Union Pacific Railroad, was responsible for implementing the world’s only mathematically optimal freight railroading system. Cofounder and CTO Max, meanwhile, previously worked at Microsoft and Amazon. This year, Ambient intends to launch its testnet and incentivize Bitcoin miners to jump ship.
Well, there you have it: three innovative US blockchain projects making the most of a crypto-friendly domestic policy landscape. While predicting the fortunes of the wider market is a fool’s errand, we’re pretty sure these ventures will be worth watching in the year ahead.