HTX Ventures recently released its latest research report, titled “DeepSeek Ignites AI’s ‘iPhone Moment’ as Agent Tokens Integrate into Real-World Crypto.” The report explores how DeepSeek’s use of pure reinforcement learning (RL) is transforming AI’s role in the crypto industry by boosting AI capabilities and cutting costs.
DeepSeek’s Emergence: AI-Powered Innovation Triggers Industry Transformation
In Q4 2024, the market saw a surge in top-tier AI Agents projects backed by Launchpads, driving a wave of asset issuance and quickly attracting capital and users. However, as the ICO rush began to subside, the hype in the AI Agents space had run its course. The market now urgently needed a catalyst to reignite growth.
DeepSeek’s breakthrough technology leverages pure reinforcement learning (RL) to enhance AI’s reasoning capabilities while significantly reducing costs. This advancement positions AI as a more effective partner for real-world applications, transforming the AI Agent sector. This progress could breathe new life into the Agent field and reshape the industry landscape.
The research report heralds DeepSeek’s debut as the “iPhone Moment” of the AI sector. Much like how the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone market, DeepSeek’s innovative technology is poised to lead a new era of crypto-tech development over the next few years.
The Unique Value and Accelerating Growth of AI Agents
The AI Agents ecosystem consists of four main sectors:
- AI Agent Frameworks: These serve as the core infrastructure for the AI Agents ecosystem, lowering development barriers and accelerating AI’s application. The Eliza project stands out with its technical innovations and sustainable business model.
- AI launchpads serve as hybrid incubators and trading platforms in the crypto space, lowering entry barriers for AI Agent projects and accelerating their launch, funding, and promotion.
- AI Agent meme coins, which blend AI and meme narratives, have strong potential to go viral, making them effective tools for rapid capital accumulation. Examples include BULLY from the Virtual ecosystem and TAOCAT and LLM from the Bittensor ecosystem.
- AI Agent applications focus on the implementation and commercialization of the technology in real-world scenarios, covering areas such as automated trading, asset management, market analysis, and cross-chain interaction. Representative projects are GRIFFAIN, NEUR, and BUZZ. AI Agent applications are expected to become the most promising segment in the sector.
The report emphasizes that deep expertise and resilience are vital for the success of AI Agent teams. Teams like Virtual, SEKOIA, ai16z, and Swarm have proven this through their perseverance and dedication. Additionally, product usability is a critical factor in driving user adoption and widespread acceptance in the crypto market.
2025: The Maturation of Crypto Combining with Agents, Where Revenue and User Adoption Drive Value
As the AI Agents market matures, it’s transitioning from a narrative-driven phase to one where value is based on data and revenue. The success of AI Agent projects will no longer be dictated by hype or the founding team’s pedigree but by their ability to achieve sustainable profitability and address real user needs through innovation.
Directions that deserve future attention:
- Multi-Agent Systems and DeFAI (Decentralized Finance + AI): These sectors showcase AI’s tremendous potential for complex decision-making and financial automation, signaling long-term growth.
- Core Framework Updates: It’s essential to monitor the ongoing evolution of critical frameworks like Eliza and ARC, as their upgrades could create entirely new applications and business models.
- New Infrastructure Projects: AI models, data layers, and computing infrastructure tailored for the crypto ecosystem will be foundational to supporting the next-gen AI Agent ecosystem.
As a leading investment institution, HTX Ventures has consistently aligned its strategy with market trends. From backing DeepSeek to supporting AI Agents tokens, HTX Ventures sees tremendous potential in the synergy between AI and blockchain technologies, investing and positioning itself for the next wave of innovation. As AI and crypto technology converge, more opportunities and challenges knock. HTX Ventures is committed to driving further technical advancements, helping shape the future of the industry.
Read the full report here: https://square.htx.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/deepseek-triggers-ais-iphone-moment-accelerating-ai-agents-into-real-crypto-use.pdf
About HTX Ventures
HTX Ventures, the global investment division of HTX, integrates investment, incubation, and research to identify the best and brightest teams worldwide. With more than a decade-long history as an industry pioneer, HTX Ventures excels at identifying cutting-edge technologies and emerging business models within the sector. To foster growth within the blockchain ecosystem, we provide comprehensive support to projects, including financing, resources, and strategic advice.
HTX Ventures currently backs over 300 projects spanning multiple blockchain sectors, with select high-quality initiatives already trading on the HTX exchange. Furthermore, as one of the most active FOF (Fund of Funds) funds, HTX Ventures invests in 30 top global funds and collaborates with leading blockchain funds such as Polychain, Dragonfly, Bankless, Gitcoin, Figment, Nomad, Animoca, and Hack VC to jointly build a blockchain ecosystem. Visit us here.
Feel free to contact us for investment and collaboration at VC@htx-inc.com.
About HTX
Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, financial derivatives, wallets, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses. As a world-leading gateway to Web3, HTX harbors global capabilities that enable it to provide users with safe and reliable services. Adhering to the growth strategy of “Global Expansion, Thriving Ecosystem, Wealth Effect, Security & Compliance”, HTX is dedicated to providing quality services and values to virtual asset enthusiasts worldwide.
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