Bittensor’s TAO token surged on Thursday and peaked early Friday after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discussed the project on the All-In podcast. The token jumped from $243.5 to $310.6 before settling at $298.1. This move refocused attention on one of crypto’s most watched AI-linked assets, not because Huang directly endorsed the token, but because he treated its underlying technical achievement as significant in the broader debate over open AI infrastructure.
The moment occurred when Chamath Palihapitiya directed Huang’s attention to what he called a “pretty crazy technical accomplishment” within “this crypto project called Bittensor.” He described a recent training run on Subnet 3 where participants used distributed excess computing power to train a Llama model in a fully decentralized manner while still managing the process statefully.
Huang’s immediate response was brief but notable: “Our modern version of Folding@home.” This comparison was important because it framed Bittensor’s milestone in terms familiar to traditional tech audiences. Folding@home is a well-known example of decentralized volunteer computing; Huang’s analogy suggested he viewed Bittensor’s experiment as a legitimate form of distributed coordination rather than mere crypto spectacle.
In the context of TAO’s price movement, traders seemed to interpret this as external validation from a leading figure in AI hardware. Huang then broadened the discussion beyond Bittensor to the structure of the AI market. “I believe we fundamentally need models as first-class products, proprietary products, as well as models as open source. These two things are not A or B, it’s A and B. There’s no question about it,” he stated.
He followed with a sharper distinction: “Models are a technology, not a product. Models are technology, not a service.”
Huang then explained why this dual-track approach matters. For general consumer use, he said most people will prefer ready-made services over fine-tuning their own systems. “I would really, really love not to go fine-tune my own. I would really love to keep using ChatGPT. I love to use Claude. I love to use Gemini. I love to use X,” he said, arguing that this horizontal layer of AI products “is thriving” and “is going to be great.”
However, he drew a clear line for industry-specific applications, stating that domain expertise “has to be captured in a way that they can control,” and that “it can only come from open models.” This distinction is central to why Bittensor reacted so strongly. While Huang didn’t make a token recommendation or present Bittensor as the definitive winner in open AI, he did endorse the coexistence of proprietary and open model ecosystems, while acknowledging that specialized industries will require more controllable, open foundations.
At the time of reporting, TAO was trading at $297.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Bittensors price jump following the comments from Nvidias CEO Jensen Huang
Beginner Definition Questions
1 What is Bittensor
Bittensor is a decentralized network that allows different AI models and machine learning algorithms to collaborate and be rewarded with its native cryptocurrency TAO Think of it as a marketplace for AI intelligence powered by blockchain
2 Why did Bittensors price go up 28
The price surged after Jensen Huang the CEO of Nvidia publicly praised the importance of opensource AI models during a speech Investors saw this as a major endorsement for decentralized opensource AI projects like Bittensor
3 What does opensource AI have to do with Bittensor
Bittensors core idea is to create an open decentralized marketplace for AI Instead of AI being controlled by a few big companies Bittensor allows anyone to contribute to and benefit from a collective AI intelligence aligning perfectly with the opensource philosophy Huang highlighted
4 Who is Jensen Huang and why does his opinion matter
Jensen Huang is the cofounder and CEO of Nvidia the company whose graphics chips power almost all major AI development When he speaks about industry trends the entire tech and investment world listens
Intermediate Market Impact Questions
5 Is this price jump just hype or is it based on real value
Its a mix The immediate jump was a direct market reaction to positive sentiment from a key industry leader The longterm value depends on whether Bittensor can actually deliver on its promise of a useful decentralized AI network
6 How does Bittensor actually work
Developers submit their AI models to the network These models then perform tasks The network constantly evaluates which models provide the best answers and rewards their creators with TAO tokens based on their usefulness
7 What are the main benefits of a decentralized AI network like Bittensor
Censorship Resistance AI models arent controlled by a single entitys rules
Incentive Alignment Developers are directly rewarded for creating better AI