Author: Chloe, PANews
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino unveiled Tether’s latest Local AI development kit at the Lugano Plan ₿ event in Switzerland on October 26. This new AI development kit focuses on user privacy and is powered by peer-to-peer technology.
The outstanding feature of Local AI is its versatility, which enables developers to write code that runs on a variety of devices, from low-cost mobile phones to high-end smartphones, laptops or large systems equipped with H100 processors. In addition, the technology can be applied to a variety of devices, including smart refrigerators and car entertainment systems.
In March this year, Tether announced the establishment of a new artificial intelligence department "Tether data", which is committed to advancing its pace into the field of AI, with the goal of building the next generation of open AI models. Led by Paolo Ardoino, the newly established AI department Tether data focuses on developing "open source, multimodal AI models". This major move is Tether's determination to improve the accessibility and efficiency of AI and promote AI and peer-to-peer technology.
Launched Local AI to break through the application scope of traditional computing devices
At the recent Lugano Plan ₿ event in Switzerland, Ardoino demonstrated how Local AI can be applied beyond traditional computing devices. The software development kit (SDK) can eventually be implemented in smart home appliances, including refrigerators and car entertainment systems, highlighting its wide range of potential applications.
Local AI places special emphasis on “local” computing, which means that AI computing is completed by users on their own devices and uses P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to allow devices to exchange data directly.
The traditional network architecture is that every image, website or application is stored on a server. Each server has its own IP address. When we browse the web, we send a request to the server through the IP address. It can be said that the server controls the ownership of the user.
In P2P, every user on the network is responsible for storing all or part of all data. In addition to being able to initiate requests to other IP addresses, they are also responsible for processing requests from others, which is equivalent to being a server themselves. This is also Tether's goal in promoting AI and peer-to-peer technology.
A key feature of Local AI is its ability to load and store model weights and fine-tuning data within a P2P framework. This approach ensures that users' personal sensitive information is kept safe and reduces reliance on central servers. At the Plan ₿ event, Ardoino demonstrated a completely local and privacy-focused translation application that can run on any device, avoids sharing personal data with third parties, and is compatible with various models (such as Marian and Llama). In addition, the foundation of Local AI comes from the open source project "holepunchto/bare", which plays a vital role in its structure.
Suppose a user is using a translation app developed based on the Local AI SDK. The app can obtain updated language models directly from other users, and the user's personal device can directly share optimized translation results with other devices. All these information exchanges are encrypted and do not need to go through a central server.
Finally, Tether plans to make the Local AI SDK available as open source software after comprehensive testing. This move will benefit developers and communities interested in AI and privacy-related technologies, and also marks Tether's continued expansion of its AI technology products beyond stablecoin services.
Last year, we bought chips to accumulate computing power and capital, and this year we set up a department to expand our AI business.
Tether's full-year net profit in 2023 will reach $6.2 billion. In September last year, Tether invested heavily in AI hardware, spending $420 million to purchase 10,000 Nvidia H100 GPU chips. Each H100 chip is worth about $40,000, accounting for about 2% of Nvidia's total annual shipments of 550,000 H100 GPU chips.
At that time, the transaction was part of the cooperation between Tether and Bitcoin miner Northern Data Group. Northern Data could obtain a large number of H100s, and Tether could obtain 20% of Northern Data’s shares. Forbes also mentioned that Northern planned to rent these graphics cards to AI startups that urgently needed a lot of computing power. This transaction may make Northern Data the largest GPU operator in Europe besides Amazon, Microsoft Azure and Oracle.
In March this year, Tether announced the establishment of Tether Data, a department whose AI business expansion will focus on several key areas. The first is to develop open source multimodal AI models, establish new industry standards, and promote innovation and accessibility of AI technology. In an interview with WIRED, Ardoino mentioned, "The concept of decentralization can be applied to different fields, such as AI. We have seen that AI has been severely politicized. I also believe that it is very important to have a role independent of traditional technology companies (such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google). "
Secondly, Tether Data seamlessly integrates AI solutions into products on the market, using technology to solve real-world challenges. Finally, by actively participating in the broader ecosystem through community contributions, Tether Data is committed to advancing the field of open AI while showcasing its innovative projects.
Flush with cash, Tether targets Amazon, Microsoft and Google
In June this year, Tether released a report stating that Tether's profit in the first half of 2024 was US$5.2 billion and its total reserves were US$118.5 billion. Ardoino took over as CEO in December last year after serving as CTO for six years. Under his leadership, Tether has made key investments in energy development, Bitcoin mining, and communication technology in order to achieve investment diversification.
Ardoino said that part of the funds will be used to build a buffer for USDT reserves, but the rest will be invested in the company's new venture capital unit Tether Evo. The company has acquired a majority stake in Blackrock Neurotech, a neural implant technology startup. "Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology will become very important in the future. It is also very important to build brain and computer interfaces that respect personal privacy and ensure that data remains local and is not collected by a single company operating the platform." Ardoino said in an interview.
In addition, Ardoino also said in an interview that AI is another important area for Tether's business expansion. Tether's VC evaluates hundreds of proposals every month, most of which come directly from startups, and has invested about $2 billion in AI and alternative financial infrastructure. For Tether, investing in AI means not only technological innovation, but also ensuring that the company is always at the forefront of technology.
