Cloud computing has become the backbone of our digital world. From streaming services and social media to AI applications and business software, everything runs on the cloud.

At its core, cloud computing means using remote servers (computers owned and maintained by someone else) to store data, run applications or process information — instead of relying only on your own laptop, phone or company servers. These servers are hosted in data centers around the world and can be accessed over the internet. Instead of buying expensive hardware and maintaining it yourself, you “tap into” the cloud and only pay for what you use.

Cloud computing is everywhere in our daily lives:

• Streaming & entertainment: Netflix, Spotify and YouTube all run on the cloud so millions of people can watch or listen at the same time.

• Social media & communication: platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp or Zoom store your photos, videos and messages in the cloud so you can access them anytime, anywhere.

• Business & productivity: tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365 use the cloud so teams can collaborate in real time.

• AI & machine learning: training and running AI models requires huge amounts of computing power. The cloud provides the servers and GPUs (a computer chip designed to perform thousands of calculations at once) needed to make this possible.

• Data storage & backup: services like Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud let users store files securely and access them from any device.

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Without cloud computing, the modern digital world simply wouldn’t function. It allows companies to scale quickly, developers to innovate faster and individuals to access powerful tools without needing expensive infrastructure at home.

But today’s cloud is dominated by a handful of big players like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. While powerful, these platforms come with serious drawbacks: high costs, limited flexibility, vendor lock-in and a lack of transparency.
This is where Akash Network steps in. Often called the “Airbnb for cloud resources,” Akash is a decentralized marketplace that connects those who have extra computing power (providers) with those who need it (tenants). Instead of relying on one giant corporation, Akash makes cloud resources open, competitive and community-driven.

Why is this important?

1. Cloud services from traditional providers are expensive because of overhead, middlemen and profit margins. On Akash, prices are set by the market, often making it up to 2–3 times cheaper.

2. Tenants aren’t locked into one company’s ecosystem. They can choose from a wide range of providers around the world and deploy workloads in minutes.

3. Everything is open-source and community-governed. No hidden fees, no closed contracts.

4. Data centers often have underused servers sitting idle. Akash lets providers monetize this spare capacity, while tenants get affordable computing power.

5. By spreading infrastructure across many independent providers, Akash reduces the risks of outages, censorship or monopolistic control.

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Since launching in 2020, Akash has delivered breakthrough milestones: making cloud computing self-custodial, introducing high-performance storage, enabling GPU access for AI and improving user experience to drive massive growth. Now, as we step into 2025, Akash is entering a new era — shifting from a resource network to a services network, realizing the vision of the “supercloud.”

1. Sovereign AI agents: AI is quickly moving beyond tools like ChatGPT — the next step is AI agents that can act independently, make decisions and complete tasks on their own. In the future, Akash will be the first decentralized cloud to let these agents run with full sovereignty. With added confidentiality features, Akash is positioned to become the go-to decentralized platform for AI agents, ensuring that innovation in AI remains open and accessible.

2. On-chain provider incentives: in 2024, Akash saw that when more providers joined, demand also grew. In 2025, incentives will move fully on-chain, encouraging even more providers to join and strengthening the network.

3. Sovereign services: most of today’s cloud profits go to big providers. Akash’s Managed Service Market (MSM), slated to enter in service in 2026, will change this by allowing developers and service creators to earn directly, while keeping their software open.

4. Better developer experience: Akash wants to be as simple as possible for developers. In 2025, improvements will focus on removing barriers and making it easier to build and deploy on the network.

5. Akash at home: in the future, people will be able to use spare power from their home computers to run AI workloads. This helps with privacy, security and accessibility, while bringing Akash closer to everyday users.

With this roadmap, Akash is proving the vision of the future where AI and cloud infrastructure are democratized, services are open, and power is distributed across a global community.

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At the heart of Akash Network is AKT, the network’s native utility token. More than just a digital currency, AKT is the engine that drives governance, security and value exchange across the ecosystem. It ensures that the network stays decentralized, secure and community-driven.

🔐 Akash Network is secured by a Proof-of-Stake, a secure and energy-efficient system. Instead of relying on energy-heavy mining like traditional blockchains, PoS works by having participants stake their AKT tokens. By staking, token holders help protect the network, while earning passive rewards in return.

🗳 Unlike traditional cloud providers, Akash isn’t controlled by a single company. It is community-owned. Every AKT holder has a say in how the network evolves. This ensures that Akash remains transparent and shaped by its community, not by a centralized entity.

💱 AKT also acts as a medium of exchange within the ecosystem. Tenants use AKT to pay for cloud resources, while providers earn AKT for offering computing power. Beyond Akash itself, AKT is integrated into the Cosmos ecosystem, where it functions as a reserve currency in a multi-chain, multi-currency environment.

🎁 Participation is key to any decentralized network, and AKT makes it rewarding. Providers are incentivized to contribute idle resources, tenants are encouraged to deploy workloads affordably, and stakers are rewarded for securing the system.

Akash is driving real-world adoption of decentralized cloud technology. Developers and businesses use Akash to host decentralized apps, run AI and machine learning tasks using GPUs (powerful chips that can process lots of data at once), support DePIN networks (systems where many people contribute physical hardware to a decentralized network) and power Web3 services that need reliable, censorship-free servers.

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To start using the Akash Network, you’ll need Akash tokens ($AKT), which are required for transaction fees and deployment payments. There are two main ways to acquire them:

• Decentralized exchange (DEX): the most common method is to use an On/Off Ramp service such as Kado or Mt Pelerin, where you can purchase "stablecoins" like USDC or USDT with a credit card. Then, you can swap these stablecoins to $AKT through a DEX like Osmosis, Rango or even the minimalistic Skip:go.
  
  

• Centralized exchange (CEX): $AKT is also available on several centralized exchanges. After purchasing, you can easily transfer your tokens to your Akash account address.

Why staking AKT?

Staking AKT is one of the most important ways to participate in the Akash ecosystem. Current rewards sit around 10.28% APR (stands for Annual Percentage Rate, which shows how much your investment grows in one year without compounding), although this value can vary significantly over time based on chain parameters like inflation, and metrics like block speed.
Staking also gives token holders a voice in decentralized governance, allowing them to vote on proposals that shape the network’s evolution. Staking ensures the network stays secure, community-driven and sustainable.

You can also check how much you’ll earn with the current APR by using the reward calculator available on our website. Want to learn more about staking and the benefits we offer to those who stake with us? Check out our article about it for all the details.