Greg Osuri of Akash Network (interview)

In a candid conversation during EthCC, Greg Osuri, the founder of Akash Network, shares insights into his journey, Akash’s beginnings, and the future of decentralized cloud computing.

Osuri’s venture into the world of decentralized cloud computing began long before Akash Network.

A seasoned entrepreneur, Osuri first made waves with AngelHack, the world’s largest hackathon-based accelerator.

“Before AngelHack, hackathons were a very underground concept and we made them more popular,” he reflects.

Through AngelHack, he helped launch numerous companies, including Firebase, which was later acquired by Google.

In 2013, Osuri encountered a major challenge in the tech ecosystem: scaling deployments from small hackathon projects to robust and scalable solutions.

“In a hackathon, you build something in a couple of days and deploy it to Heroku, but scaling it down to Amazon is an incredible challenge that sets companies back for ages,” he explains. This led him to explore container technologies, eventually falling in love with Kubernetes, contributing extensively to its ecosystem and developing libraries widely used today.

Akash Network: The Birth Without Cryptography

The story of Akash Network began with the vision of a decentralized and open source cloud.

“The cloud was becoming more and more closed, introducing closed databases and ecosystems that lock you into a single platform, which means high costs and limited flexibility,” explains Osuri.

This realization drove him to democratize cloud computing, leading to the creation of Overclock Labs (the foundation behind Akash) in 2015.

Initially, Akash’s journey was not directly tied to cryptocurrency. However, the team faced scalability challenges with centralized structures, prompting a pivot to a peer-to-peer infrastructure. “We discovered that the challenge of peer-to-peer is booting credentials,” recalls Osuri.

In 2016, they found Ethereum promising, but faced issues with its scalability during periods of high demand such as the CryptoKitties crash. This led Akash to develop his own Layer-1 blockchain using Cosmos SDK. “We chose proof-of-stake over proof-of-work, and that’s how we ended up with a token,” Osuri explains.

Unable to get a GPU right now

Despite being a Layer 1 blockchain, Osuri clarifies that Akash is fundamentally different.

“Akash is not the typical layer-1; it is a chain of applications”, he says. Unlike traditional Layer-1s that offer smart contracts and shared platforms, Akash focuses on decentralized cloud computing without smart contracts “We don’t have smart contracts. We don’t have any of the typical Layer-1s,” he says.

One of Akash’s key features is its ability to provide high-density, on-demand GPUs at a fraction of the cost. Osuri emphasizes,

“It takes two years to get a GPU from Nvidia directly. If you’re an AI engineer, it’s impossible to get a GPU right now on the market.”

Akash addresses this gap by offering on-demand GPUs, with an easy-to-use interface that enables deployment in 90 seconds. “We’re talking 80 cents for an A100, $2.50 for an H100,” he notes.

AI and Cryptography: A Unique Synergy

As AI becomes more and more central to modern life, Osuri sees a symbiotic relationship between AI and cryptography.

“AI will be at the center of our lives, whether we like it or not. The traditional structures of Amazon and Google have failed AI,” he says.

According to Osuri, Akash takes advantage of surplus GPUs in the market, opening up a secondary market that traditional vendors can’t match. “When Apple Enables GPT Integration, Where Are We Going With This?” he asks

Osuri is optimistic about the future, noting that “decentralized computing networks will only grow bigger and bigger.”

The diverse and distributed nature of AI training chips and cryptographic verification capabilities create a unique synergy, making Akash a pivotal player in this evolving landscape. “The need for AI is so great and the supply chain is not getting any better,” he says, preaching an important role for decentralized solutions.

The challenges of onboarding non-crypto users

Despite its technological advances, Akash faces challenges in onboarding non-crypto users. The requirement of a wallet and AKT tokens can be a hindrance. “Setting up a wallet involves backing up your keys and then going to Coinbase for KYC and it takes time,” Osuri explains.

To streamline this process, Akash is exploring account abstraction and test wallets to reduce onboarding time to just 60 seconds.

“We think it will come down to 60 seconds at Akash,” he says.

Akash’s user base is increasingly non-crypto, with platforms like Brev.dev and universities like the University of Texas leveraging its capabilities. Notable users include Erik Voorhees’ Venice.ai, which uses Akash for its privacy-optimized chatbot. “Venice is censorship-resistant and privacy-optimized, offering features that traditional platforms cannot,” notes Osuri.

Keeping Akash’s short-term and long-term future goals in mind, Osuri’s vision extends beyond the current landscape with a focus on scalability and accessibility. As AI and crypto continue to converge, Akash is poised to play a crucial role in this transformative journey, providing innovative and essential decentralized cloud solutions for the future. “We are starting a trend; it’s very early and very exciting”, concludes Osuri.

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