Gonka is a decentralized network for high-efficiency AI compute, designed to maximize the use of global GPU power for meaningful AI workloads. By eliminating centralized gatekeepers, Gonka provides builders and researchers with permissionless access to compute resources, while rewarding participants through its native token, GNK. David and Daniil Liberman are Los Angeles-based futurists, serial entrepreneurs, investors, ex-Snap directors of Product, founders of ProductScience.ai and Humanism Co. by Libermans Co., as well as the creators of the Gonka protocol. David recently joined the Bitcoin.com News Podcast to talk about the technology. Inspired by Bitcoin’s ability to build massive, decentralized infrastructure, Gonka aims to unite GPU owners globally to create a transformer-based Proof-of-Work (PoW) network for AI compute. Liberman discusses the inefficiencies of centralized cloud models for GPUs and the critical shift towards specialized hardware like ASICs, drawing parallels to Bitcoin mining’s evolution. Liberman explains Gonka’s focus on inference over training and how a PoW-based network aligns incentives with hardware providers, fostering greater infrastructure growth compared to Proof-of-Stake networks. He also addresses the current AI market valuations, suggesting that while AI’s long-term impact will be immense, some company valuations might be in a bubble, similar to the dot-com era. The conversation highlights the importance of tokenomics that prioritize hardware providers and innovators to accelerate hardware efficiency. Finally, the podcast explores the broader implications of decentralized AI for global competition and individual autonomy. Liberman argues that distributed compute systems are essential for smaller countries and startups to compete against centralized national players. He emphasizes that a PoW-based network prevents artificial inflation of value by linking coin value to the real cost of compute, leading to a healthier ecosystem. The episode concludes with a discussion on the future of AI and work, stressing the need for billions of independent, decentralized AIs to prevent wealth and power concentration and ensure a future of abundance. About Our Guest David and Daniil began their entrepreneurial path with their siblings, co-founding ventures across computer graphics, finance, and AI. They founded Frank Money, pioneering radical financial transparency, and later launched Kernel AR, which was acquired by Snap the same year. David and Daniil and their siblings signed the Founders Pledge, channeling their economic output into Libermans Co., now valued at $ 400 million, and attracted investments from Marc Andreessen, Josh Kushner, and Arielle Zuckerberg. To learn more about the protocol visit Gonka.AI, and follow the team on X.
