You're invited to Step into the Arena.
PLUS: a deep dive into Hyperbolic, Tangle Network and so much more.
The Eigen Games Arena just dropped—and we hope it made you jump out of your seat. Because in just a few weeks, we’re gonna be there.
It’s real. It’s coming. It’s epic.
Picture this: 80 students from universities around the world converging on one wacky hotel, each room themed to set the stage for the Games.
The Hunger Games had 13 districts. The Eigen Games has 13 floors. Coincidence? We think not. This was meant to be.
Of course, pulling off something this transformative — booking out a hotel, flying in students, and delivering top-tier tech — doesn’t happen without supporters. We couldn’t do this without the people, teams and communities that believe in us:
@Gaianet_AI @0xOthentic @0xautonome (by Altlayer) @hyperbolic_labs @boundless_xyz (by RISC Zero) @OpacityNetwork
With this lineup, the Eigen Games is a hands-on dive into the cutting edge of Web3 and AI. We’re not just discussing trends or following narratives; we’re actively building with the best tools, mentors, and technologies available.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore the technical innovations at your disposal and the possibilities they unlock. The goal isn’t just to create something for the competition but to build with long-term impact in mind. From day one, you’ll be making choices as if this were the real deal — because it is.
Building for the next billion is the name of the game ;)
Hyperbolic: AI Without the Handcuffs
AI infrastructure today is largely centralized, with a handful of major platforms controlling access, setting pricing structures, and collecting user data. This raises concerns around privacy, cost efficiency, and the ability to verify AI computations—particularly as AI models become more autonomous and are integrated into a wider range of applications. These centralized models also create dependencies, where developers must trust third-party providers without direct visibility into how computations are processed or how data is handled.
Hyperbolic is addressing these challenges by developing an open-access AI cloud powered by a decentralized GPU network. Rather than relying on centralized APIs, it provides a distributed compute marketplace where AI inference can be run with key advantages over traditional AI service models. These include zero data retention, ensuring that input data is not stored or repurposed; censorship resistance, reducing reliance on any single entity to grant or restrict access; and cost efficiency, allowing developers to scale AI applications with predictable pricing rather than per-token costs or usage-based restrictions. Additionally, the decentralized nature of the network reduces the risk of service interruptions or data bottlenecks that can arise in traditional cloud computing environments.
A key challenge in decentralized AI is verifying computations without a central authority. Existing solutions like zero-knowledge machine learning (zkML) and optimistic proofs (opML) offer different approaches but come with trade-offs in computational cost and validation incentives. Hyperbolic introduces Proof-of-Sampling (PoSP), a system that uses randomized verification by independent nodes to encourage accurate computation. This method forms the basis of spML (Sampling-based Proof-of-Sampling for Machine Learning), which seeks to improve verification efficiency by balancing security and computational feasibility.
By integrating decentralized compute with verifiable AI inference, Hyperbolic aims to provide infrastructure for applications such as on-chain AI agents, automated research assistants, and privacy-focused machine learning models. With investment from Polychain Capital, Lightspeed Faction, and other leading investors, it is exploring ways to make AI infrastructure more transparent and accessible.
🔗 Read more:
Tangle Network: Restake, Reuse, Repeat
Tangle Network is a decentralized cloud infrastructure designed for cryptographic services, offering a modular and composable framework for secure, trustless computation. Unlike traditional cloud platforms that are centrally managed, Tangle allows developers to build Blueprints—specifications for Actively Validated Services (AVS)—which define cryptographic services like oracles, privacy tools, AI inference, and zero-knowledge proofs. Once deployed, users can create instances of these Blueprints, which are executed by independent Tangle Operators. This system ensures that computation remains verifiable, censorship-resistant, and economically sustainable while allowing for service customization and scalability.
Blueprints act as reusable templates for cryptographic services. Rather than requiring every application to build infrastructure from scratch, developers can define a service once, and multiple instances of that Blueprint can be deployed, each with different operators, configurations, and restaked assets securing them. This flexibility ensures that the same core service can be customized to fit different needs while remaining economically incentivized. Operators who run these instances are rewarded with TNT tokens and service execution fees, while developers can further incentivize operators by specifying additional rewards in the Blueprint itself.
At the heart of Tangle’s design is cross-chain restaking, which allows asset holders to stake tokens from multiple blockchains to secure and validate service instances. This ensures that decentralized services benefit from cross-chain security and interoperability, allowing applications to integrate data, assets, and compute from various networks—for example, a privacy application using Ethereum-based zero-knowledge proofs, an oracle pulling real-world data from another blockchain, and computation secured via EigenLayer restaking.
True to its name, Tangle Network lets you weave together decentralized cryptographic services, creating a flexible, composable infrastructure that isn’t tied to a single chain or provider.
🔗 Read more:
For the Students, By the Degens ⚡️
Skip the lecture, catch the alpha. 3k+ students trust us to transform frontier tech research/information into bite-sized technical insights. This is your go-to for the weekly 5-minute power-up on frontier tech.
Unsubscribe anytime – but if something's not hitting different, slide into our DMs first and let us know how we can do better. We're here to build together 🤝
Eigen Games Creators Cup
As if everything else wasn’t enough, Eigen Games is leveling up with the Creator’s Cup—your chance to flex your creative muscles and claim a share of the $8,000 prize pool.
The top 12 university clubs will split the prize pool, with $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second, and $1,000 for third. Winners will be judged on post count, creativity, and quality, with rankings revealed during The Eigen Games at ETH Denver—the perfect finale to an already epic event.
To get noticed, tag @buildoneigen and @collegedao_hub in your posts. Clubs like Waterloo, Dalhousie, and Blockchain at Berkeley are already setting the pace.
Who will take the crown?
Enter: N3XUS Campus Buildathon.
Organized by the Web3 Acceleration Association (shoutout Texas Tech 🛠️), this isn’t your typical college hangout. N3XUS is bringing all the top university blockchain clubs in North America into one massive innovation fest.
The details are still shaping up—but trust us, things are moving fast, and we’re absolutely thrilled to be part of the ride. This is set to be the highlight of next season for the university blockchain scene. Make sure you tap in.
Web3 Jobs & Internships
Gemini Info Session - over 75 Internship Roles
Michigan Blockchain and the Midwest Blockchain Conference are partnering with Gemini to launch a 75-person internship program. Join them on Wednesday, February 5th, at 6 PM ET for an info session with the Gemini team, where you can learn more about the program and get your questions answered.
🔗 Hardware Internship Program, Nethermind
🔗 Investor Relations Lead, AethirLabs
🔗 Web3 Strategy Lead, Hyperbolic
⚡️ Your Job Search, Optimized
We know how it goes - endless applications, generic responses, and that LinkedIn anxiety. But we've built something different: a system that actually helps you land roles where you'll build meaningful things.
Think of us as your career co-pilots. We'll help optimize your entire process - from resume reviews to interview prep - while sending cutting-edge opportunities your way.
We’re also here to assist you with resume advice, career guidance, interview preparation, networking strategies, and more 👇
80 students, 1 hotel. What could go wrong?
These folks have some ideas—but hey, whatever happens at the Eigen Games stays at the Eigen Games.
For the homies who couldn’t make it to the Eigen Games but still want to get in on the action at ETHDenver, we’ve got you covered. As the official University Ecosystem Partner, we’re teaming up with ETHDenver to offer $300 scholarships for student hackers who submit projects at the ETHDenver Hackathon. Apply using the form on our website:
That’s all for today - Cya next week!!
Disclaimer
The information provided in this newsletter does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other sort of advice, and you should not treat any of the content as such.
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