Near enables staking NEAR for AI inference capacity

Near Protocol has introduced a mechanism allowing users to stake NEAR tokens to gain proportional inference capacity on the Near AI cloud, replacing monthly subscription fees. This allows individuals and businesses to hold NEAR as an asset while accessing AI services for coding, chat, and other tools. Ilya described this as turning AI expenses into a balance sheet item. The system also supports autonomous agents that can hold NEAR to pay for continuous inference, enabling them to operate as independent economic actors. Near Intense fees are used to buy back NEAR, and the token serves as the root of trust and gas fee for the blockchain. Ilya stated that the total supply of NEAR is 1.3 billion, with the goal that a billion people will hold at least one NEAR to power their personal agents. He argued that staking NEAR for AI inference creates a sustainable economic loop where the token secures the network and powers the AI layer, aligning user incentives with the protocol's growth.