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Can the large bet of protocol on AI overcome its centralization problem to reach $ 3? We analyze data on chains, tokenomics and price forecasts from experts up to 2030.
Near the protocol [NEAR] Is at a crossroads and makes a huge gamble on artificial intelligence to eliminate its place in a busy cryptomarket.
The project has a compelling story, with real growth on the chain and a vision of ‘ownership AI’, but it is chased by nagging questions about centralization and the shadow of Ethereum’s [ETH] Layer-2 Giants.
For everyone who keeps in the neighborhood, the big question is whether this high-stakes pivot can finally push the token to a stable $ 3 valuation by 2030.
The journey of the token has been a classic crypto stroke. After the launch of 2020 Mainstet rode near the 2021 Bull Run to a peak of $ 20.44 before he crashed more than 91% in the brutal crypto -winter that followed.
Now, with his new focus on AI, people are starting to pay attention again.
The farm bet on decentralized AI
The architect of this new direction is co-founder Illia Polosukhin, who brings serious credibility through his time that co-author of “attention is all you need” paper.
This is the research that the transformer model has created that today’s AI revolution is driving. The goal of Polosukhin is to struggle control of data and intelligence, away from Big Tech, creating a world of ‘user ownership AI’.
To make that happen, the nearby foundation opens its wallet.
They have launched a $ 20 million fund to start the establishment of autonomous AI agents on the network, hoping to see new ideas in AI-driven gaming or decentralized finances.
They have also collaborated with market maker DWF Labs and have led a million near to the neat protocol near to the neat protocol, a Rollup solution that is built to process heavy AI workloads.
To finish it, they announced an ambitious plan at the end of 2024 to build a huge open-source AI model, a movement designed to draw top AI talent into their job.
All this is built on Near’s core technology. The Nachtschade-Sharding architecture is designed to handle up to 100,000 transactions per second, so that the type of speed and low costs that data-hungry AI applications require.
The numbers don’t lie
Near’s strategy is already shown in the data on the chain, which paints an image of an ecosystem that buzzes with activity.
By May 2025, nearly 46 million monthly active users clocked, making it the second largest low-1 because of that measure, just behind Solana [SOL].
Some reports from September 2025 push that number even higher up to 51.2 million active addresses.
A huge part of this growth comes from popular apps such as Sweat Economy, a walk-to-earn project that has successfully brought its user base from the traditional web.
The developer scene also looks healthy. About 2500 developers have contributed to the project in hundreds of code repositories.
The Near Foundation keeps this talent busy with a steady stream of subsidies, accelerator programs such as the Horizon AI incubator and direct financing.
Near protocol: Old spirits are not leaving
Despite all his technical pork chops and user growth, almost no two major criticism can shake. The first is centralization.
People point to the initial token sale, which gave a large part of the cake to the team and early investors, and the still concentrated pattern.
Becoming a validator cost more than $ 200,000, creating a high entry threshold that works against decentralization.
Even while the Near Foundation speaks a decentralized future, its own top-down structure and a heavy influence on the Ecosystem Ecosystem raises eyebrows.
The second problem is it competition. Nearby it goes against each other with Ethereum’s Army or Layer-2s Like Arbitrator [ARB] And Optimism [OP].
These solutions offer speed and still use the unparalleled security and the massive network of Ethereum itself.
While the Sharding of Near offers fast transactions finality, the L2S of Ethereum have a powerful gravity, signs and developers who want to stay within the largest smart contracteco system.
Near Protocol joins the race for deflation
Near’s token model is a delicate balance practice. The network creates new tokens at a fixed rate of approximately 5% per year, usually to pay validators for securing the network.
But there is a turn: 70% of all transaction costs are burned and have disappeared forever.
This draws up a dynamic where, if the network gets enough pressure enough, more tokens can be burned than being made, close by in a deflationary active.
The community is actively debating this. A recent management proposal proposed to lower the maximum inflation percentage to 2.5%.
Proponents believe that this is a necessary step to make the economy of the token more sustainable and competitive with other block chains that have made similar changes.
What is a realistic price for almost 2030?
Where Near’s price goes from here depends on how well the AI plan implements and what the wider economy does.
The Cryptomarkt feels carefully optimistic around 2025, hoping for interest rates and clearer regulations. Cheaper money often finds its way to risky assets such as Crypto, which can offer a headwind.
Price forecasts are everywhere on the map. Some analysts see a conservative path to a range of $ 4.31 to $ 18.37 in 2030. More Bullish votes think that it could hit everywhere from $ 24 to $ 46 if the AI vision really starts.
A back-of-the-napkin analysis using the law of Metcalfe, which appreciates a network on the number of users, gives an idea of the deployment.
- Bear Case: If the AI -Decreasing Sputers and User Growth, about 5 million crows, market capitalization in the $ 50- $ 75 billion reach.
- Basic case: If almost equal keeps pace with the decentralized AI sector and receiving 20 million active users, this could see a market capitalization $ 100- $ 150 billion.
- Bull Case: If the go-to-platform is almost in fact for decentralized AI and attracts 50 million users, market capitalization could explode $ 200 billion or more.
To get $ 3 and stay there, more must do more in the neighborhood than just building cool technology. It must solve the complex legal and regulatory mess where AI and blockchain collide.
Leadership talks to policymakers, but the gray areas around Daos, smart contracts and data privacy are enormous risks.
The AI Pivot is a brilliant story, but a story only becomes valuable when the real, tangible results starts to generate.
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