Key Properties

The token for Autonomi serves as the incentive for node operators to join The Network and cooperate toward the goal of providing secure data storage. Conceptually this is similar to that of Bitcoin: to ensure that cooperative participation is a more rational course of action than uncooperative or malicious activity.

Tokens can also be transferred directly between users and used as a means to pay third parties for goods and services. There is no charge for downloading data, but uploaders must pay a one-time fee to pay for storage.

• There will be a total maximum token supply of 1,200,000,000 (1.2 Billion) tokens created over The Network’s lifetime.

• Every data upload incurs payments from uploaders to node operators (including during the early phase of The Network an applicable ‘gas fee’.

• Unlike conventional cloud or decentralized storage, there is no extra or ongoing fee beyond the initial data payment, preventing cost escalation. This transparent payment system ensures predictability and affordability for users, and allows applications and services to scale rapidly without large data or infrastructure cost burdens.

• Most importantly, this approach allows the system to not track data ownership and not give anyone the ability to delete files. This is vitally important for the security and privacy aspect of The Autonomi Network.

• Physical infrastructure-based decentralized platforms require upfront infrastructure availability before usage can scale. This not only applies to the DePIN projects, but also to cloud providers such as AWS and GCP. To support node network growth, there will be early emission incentives for node operators (please see ‘Emissions Incentives’)

• Node operators will be incentivized to provide correct service to The Network (qualifying to quote for data uploads by being available and online) - incorrect service will result in exclusion from the ability to quote and receive payments for hosting. Ultimately, incorrect behaviors will result in prompt exclusion of the nodes from The Network, removing their ability to earn.

• Tokens (in the early phases of the network) will be on the Ethereum Network (as an ERC20 standard token) and will, by extension, benefit from the transferability, accessibility and integrations boasted by the same.