IOG Foundation, an organisation committed to supporting the growth of the io.net ecosystem, has launched a new Grant Program to accelerate the advancement of compute-intensive AI startups, researchers, and developers with free compute access through a share of 20 million $IO tokens.
Startups and developers pioneering innovative use cases for AI – and pushing the boundaries of large language models (LLMs) – are often constrained by the high cost of compute, limiting their ability to test and bring bold ideas to life. Without access to scalable infrastructure, innovation that could shape the world for the better risks never coming to fruition.
IOG Foundation’s Grant Program is designed to address this challenge and help accelerate ambitious, compute-intensive projects. It provides selected candidates free or discounted access to a full suite of tools to train, deploy, and scale AI systems, without relying on centralized infrastructure.
By removing these barriers, IOG Foundation is empowering the next generation of AI innovators, helping them bring powerful tools and platforms into real-world industries and workflows. The foundation’s grant program extends crucial resources to the most innovative teams in the AI community, spurring advancements through io.net’s high-performance GPU clusters and scalable AI infrastructure.
Tory Green, Chairperson of IOG Foundation, said “IOG Foundation’s Grant Program is the next step in expanding support for the AI community. By backing ambitious startups, researchers and developers with $IO tokens to accelerate their growth, we’re enabling builders to think outside the box and create exciting applications powered by equitable, decentralized infrastructure.”
IOG Foundation is committed to furthering the decentralization of cloud computing, fostering growth in the io.net community and ensuring that decentralization is central in the global AI conversation. Through the Grant Program, IOG Foundation is identifying the brightest ideas and most capable teams and equipping them with the resources to build faster, smarter, and at scale.
Gaurav Sharma, CEO of io.net, said, “Our full-stack infrastructure already reduces the cost of compute for developers of all sizes, but the most innovative teams still struggle to test and iterate on their ideas. IOG Foundation is taking a bold step forward, making 20 million $IO tokens available to the AI community’s best and brightest.”
Who Should Apply
The IOG Foundation Grant Program is now accepting applications. Tokens will be awarded to teams with a bright idea, a product in development, or a live AI-powered platform. The selection criteria will prioritize projects with innovative, impactful, and scalable roadmaps that can benefit from io.net’s world-class distributed GPU infrastructure. Applications should include a clear technical plan with realistic milestones.
The program favors fresh thinking – allocating tokens to teams advancing AI applications, models, and core infrastructure. Preference will be given to projects led by those with a proven track record of building innovative products, a clear commitment to their work, and a long-term vision for its impact.
The program is open to:
- AI/ML startups in early or growth stages
- Research teams, open-source contributors and innovative individual builders
- Teams participating in the inaugural io.net hackathon, launching later this week during SuperAI Singapore – follow io.net on X to keep up-to-date.
To apply, visit our website and complete a short application form. A member of the IOG Foundation team will follow up directly.