Gaia
Gaia builds decentralized AI inference infrastructure using distributed edge nodes and an OpenAI-compatible API, hosting 20+ open-source LLMs for developers, AI builders, and enterprise pilots across telecom and education.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Gaia does
Gaia (GaiaNet) is a Berkeley-based private company building decentralized AI inference infrastructure on a distributed network of edge nodes. The platform enables developers to deploy and host AI agents using an OpenAI-compatible API, a library of 20+ open-source large language models (including Llama 3.3, DeepSeek R1, and Qwen 2.5), and attachable knowledge bases for specialized inference. Core products include Gaia Domain (agent hosting endpoints), Gaia Agents (specialized AI agents with external knowledge bases), LLM Library, Gaia Chat, and the Guardian Program for node operators. The ecosystem is anchored by 43+ partners spanning cloud (AWS, GCP), blockchain (Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Mantle), identity (ENS), storage (Filecoin), and frameworks (Llama.cpp, Stable Diffusion), with the native GAIA token on Ethereum, Base, and BNB Chain.
The company monetizes through usage-based AI inference API access for developers, token-based payments and incentives across the Gaia ecosystem, and node contribution rewards for community compute providers. Go-to-market is API-first and self-serve, targeting developers and AI builders globally, with pilot deployments into European telecom operators and a Samsung Galaxy hardware integration. Strategic partnerships include UC Berkeley for higher-education AI teaching assistants and a hardware collaboration with Samsung for the (canceled) Gaia AI Phone KBW Edition. The company has raised approximately $20 million across a May 2024 seed round and a July 2025 follow-on led by ByteTrade Lab, Mantle Network, Mirana, and Susquehanna, and is led by CEO and co-founder Matt Wright.
Gaia sits at the intersection of decentralized compute and AI infrastructure, competing with centralized inference providers through its distributed edge-node architecture and token-incentivized node network. Operational scale metrics include 711,646+ node deployments, 29,293.3B total throughputs, and 3,174+ registered domains. While network and ecosystem growth has been strong, paid revenue is not disclosed and the company remains early on commercial monetization, with the March 2026 cancellation of its hardware phone product highlighting execution risk in non-core extensions.
Gaia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gaia
- Legal name
- Gaia
- Website
- https://gaianet.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Gaia builds decentralized AI inference infrastructure using distributed edge nodes and an OpenAI-compatible API, hosting 20+ open-source LLMs for developers, AI builders, and enterprise pilots across telecom and education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gaia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized AI Inference Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Model Hosting, Serving & Inference Platforms (HDAAACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Model Serving, Inference & Deployment Platforms (APIs, Edge/On-Prem) (HDAEANAC), On-Device Inference Runtimes & SDKs (mobile/embedded) (HDAAAJAB), Model Deployment, Serving & Inference Platforms (HDAAABAF)
Keywords
Where Gaia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Gaia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- AI Inference API: Developers pay for AI inference services through Gaia endpoints, replacing costly centralized AI inference with distributed edge node infrastructure
- Gaia Token Ecosystem: Native token on Ethereum, Base, and BNB Chain used for payments, incentives, and value exchange within the decentralized AI network
- Node Contribution: Community members can contribute compute resources as nodes to earn token rewards for supporting the network
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Gaia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gaia operates a decentralized AI inference network that distributes open-source large language model hosting across a global network of edge nodes and exposes the compute through an OpenAI-compatible API. Developers select from a library of 20+ open-source LLMs, attach specialized knowledge bases, fine-tune models, and deploy inference endpoints accessible via Gaia Domains. The platform monetizes usage through API endpoints and the native GAIA token, with an AI Agent marketplace extending discovery of pre-built agents across categories such as writing, translation, blockchain queries, and tutoring.
Product overview
Gaia is building a decentralized AI ecosystem that supports AI applications learning, improving, and growing over time through distributed edge nodes. The platform provides a modular architecture comprising Gaia Domain for agent deployment, Gaia Agents for specialized AI tasks with external knowledge bases, and an LLM Library featuring 20+ open-source models (Llama 3.3, DeepSeek R1, Qwen series, Gemma, Phi, EXAONE, and others). The ecosystem integrates with major cloud providers (AWS, GCP), blockchain networks (Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Mantle), and infrastructure frameworks (EigenLayer, Filecoin, Llama.cpp). Users access AI capabilities via the Gaia Chat interface, OpenAI-compatible API, or through 3,174+ registered Gaia domains. The network has achieved 711,646 node deployments with 292.93 billion total throughputs, supported by the native GAIA token on Ethereum, Base, and BNB Chain.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GaiaNet: Decentralized AI infrastructure project enabling distributed AI agent operation using edge nodes
- Gaia Token
Products and services
- Gaia Domain Gaia Domain provides a per-agent endpoint that hosts a deployed AI model with an attached knowledge base and exposes it via a .gaia.domains URL. It is sold to developers and AI builders who want a uniquely named, domain-specialized inference endpoint without managing infrastructure.
- Gaia Agents
Companies that use Gaia
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Gaia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration25 records
AI capability8 records
Feature6 records
Gaia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- University of California, BerkeleycoreCollaboration with UC Berkeley to develop AI teaching assistants for STEM students, integrating decentralized AI into higher education
- AWSmajorAmazon Web Services partnership providing cloud infrastructure as a cloud partner in the Gaia ecosystem
- EthereummajorEthereum blockchain partnership for native token integration and blockchain partner status in the ecosystem
- BasemajorEthereum Layer-2 blockchain partnership for scalable transactions and native token support
- Coinbase Developer PlatformmajorCDP integration providing trusted developer tooling for scaling applications globally
- EigenLayermajorSecurity node management enabling Gaia nodes to leverage Active Validator Services for enhanced security and multi-token staking
- ENSmajorIdentity partner powering Gaia Domain Names (GDN) for Web2 and Web3 compatible name identifiers
- OptimismmajorBlockchain partner in the Optimism Collective for building sustainable future for Ethereum
- InfStonesminorNode management partner making it easy to deploy Gaia nodes in just a few clicks
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gaia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Akash Network: Decentralized compute marketplace where users rent GPU/CPU resources for AI training and inference via a token-incentivized network. Closest direct competitor to Gaia's decentralized inference model, using similar token economics and OpenAI-compatible API positioning.
- io.net: Decentralized GPU compute network for machine learning workloads, already listed as a Gaia compute partner. Targets the same developer segment seeking cheaper, distributed alternatives to centralized cloud AI inference.
- Render Network: Decentralized GPU rendering and compute network using token incentives to coordinate distributed compute supply. Operates an analogous model of token-incentivized distributed GPU work, though primarily focused on 3D rendering with expanding AI inference support.
- Ritual: Decentralized AI protocol building infrastructure for hosting and serving AI models on-chain with cryptographic guarantees. Competes directly in the decentralized AI inference category with similar developer-facing API abstractions.
- Together AI: Cloud AI platform offering inference APIs for open-source models like Llama, DeepSeek, and Qwen at competitive prices. Targets the same developer base seeking OpenAI-compatible alternatives with open-source model access, though centralized infrastructure.
- Replicate: Cloud platform for running and deploying AI models via API, with a marketplace of community-contributed models. Competes on the same open-source model hosting and inference use case that Gaia targets.
- Modal Labs: Serverless cloud platform purpose-built for AI/ML workloads including model inference and batch processing. Competes for the same developer-focused AI inference workloads with an API-first, infrastructure-abstracted model.
Broad incumbents
- Hugging Face: Dominant open-source AI model hub offering model hosting, inference APIs (Inference Endpoints), and Spaces. Broader incumbent with overlapping inference infrastructure business and the same open-source model library ecosystem Gaia leverages.
Emerging players
- Near Protocol: Layer-1 blockchain with a dedicated focus on AI x crypto primitives, including decentralized model hosting and inference incentives via its account abstraction model. Competes in the on-chain AI infrastructure category.
- Anyscale: AI compute platform built on Ray for distributed model serving and inference workloads. Targets enterprise AI teams seeking scalable inference infrastructure, partially overlapping with Gaia's developer and enterprise segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gaia social profiles
Digital presenceGaia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gaia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Gaia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors20 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gaia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gaia
What does Gaia do?
Gaia operates a decentralized AI inference network that distributes open-source large language model hosting across a global network of edge nodes and exposes the compute through an OpenAI-compatible API. Developers select from a library of 20+ open-source LLMs, attach specialized knowledge bases, fine-tune models, and deploy inference endpoints accessible via Gaia Domains. The platform monetizes usage through API endpoints and the native GAIA token, with an AI Agent marketplace extending discovery of pre-built agents across categories such as writing, translation, blockchain queries, and tutoring.
Is Gaia a public or private company?
Gaia is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Gaia founded?
Gaia was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Gaia based?
Gaia is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gaia make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. AI Inference API is the primary driver. The others are gaia Token Ecosystem and node Contribution.
Who are Gaia's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Akash Network, io.net, Render Network, Ritual, Together AI, Replicate and Modal Labs. Hugging Face is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Near Protocol and Anyscale.
Does Gaia have an API?
Yes. Gaia offers an OpenAI-compatible API that allows developers to power any LLM application with a simple Gaia endpoint. The API uses a baseURL format (https://YOUR-GAIA-DOMAIN.gaia.domains) and supports standard OpenAI client libraries. The API supports models like llama and includes configurable parameters such as temperature and max_tokens. Developer documentation is at docs.gaianet.ai/getting-started/api-reference.
What industry is Gaia in?
Gaia's product category is Decentralized AI Inference Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAACAB, Model Hosting, Serving & Inference Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAEANAC, Model Serving, Inference & Deployment Platforms (APIs, Edge/On-Prem). Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7370.