Bittensor Ecosystem Surges With Subnet Expansion, Institutional Access

Decentralized artificial intelligence network Bittensor is “hitting escape velocity,” with accelerating growth in subnets, wallets and institutional access, according to the first "State of Bittensor" report from Yuma, an AI-powered Bittensor subnet accelerator and validator.

The report, which covers the first half of 2025, notes that 77% of consumers now say decentralized AI is more beneficial than Big Tech-controlled systems, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by Digital Currency Group, Yuma’s parent. Nearly half of respondents already use open-source AI tools.

Bittensor is a decentralized, blockchain-based network that aims to create a peer-to-peer marketplace for machine learning. The explosion in the use of AI in the past couple of years spurred many blockchain-native projects to explore how decentralization could help prevent a handful of tech titans from dominating ownership of the enormous datasets that power the technology.

Against that backdrop, Bittensor’s infrastructure is expanding rapidly, with 128 subnets now live, covering use cases from fraud detection to on-device AI, according to Yuma's report.

Yanez’s MIID subnet, for example, generates synthetic identities to stress-test financial compliance systems. NATIX’s StreetVision crowdsources urban video data from 250,000 drivers to improve maps and autonomous navigation. FLock’s “FLock OFF” subnet develops lightweight language models that run directly on devices using federated learning, keeping data private while scaling through community contribution.

Custody providers including BitGo, Copper and Crypto.com have also joined via Yuma’s validator, demonstrating a degree of institutional interest and laying the groundwork for Bittensor’s long-term growth, the report said.

Metrics reinforce the expansion. In the second quarter, the network recorded 50% subnet growth, 16% miner growth and a 28% increase in non-zero wallets. Staked TAO rose 21.5% while the token’s market cap approached $4 billion by July. Subnet tokens collectively neared $800 million.

Yuma founder and CEO Barry Silbert said Bittensor is “changing the way AI is built and distributed,” adding that Yuma is preparing to introduce Yuma Asset Management to help investors gain exposure to the ecosystem.

With decentralized intelligence moving from niche experiment to functioning infrastructure, Yuma argues adoption is no longer theoretical.

“It’s already underway,” Silbert said.

CORRECTION (Sept. 15 18:00 UTC): Corrects that Yuma is not an AI-powered e-commerce platform, but an AI-powered Bittensor subnet accelerator and validator.