NEAR Protocol launches staking‑based payment system for AI compute credits

NEAR Protocol has introduced a staking‑based payment model for its NEAR AI platform. Users can lock NEAR tokens, which remain owned, to receive monthly compute credits that grant access to all 43 AI models hosted on the service, including offerings from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.

The mechanism converts the amount of staked tokens into proportional compute credits, eliminating the need for traditional cloud billing accounts or credit‑card payments. Tokens are not consumed during usage and can be unstaked at any time, returning the original stake to the user. The launch adds a new utility for NEAR staking following earlier initiatives such as an institutional staking fund and a network upgrade that reduced token inflation.