Moody's: DePIN technology shows potential, but implementation still faces multiple obstacles

According to CoinDesk, international credit rating agency Moody's Ratings stated in its first report on decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) on Tuesday that the DePIN industry may contribute to the expansion and innovation of existing networks, but some risks, including unclear regulations, may hinder its development.

The author of the report stated, "By connecting the existing parts of the system backbone with the building blocks of distributed ledger technology (DLT), DePIN has the potential to improve the reliability and efficiency of the network, while reducing operating costs and optimizing resources and industry cooperation

However, the report points out that the widespread adoption of DePIN faces significant obstacles, including regulatory and interoperability issues, cybersecurity risks, and the need for significant investment in infrastructure and technology.

Moody's report points out that existing network operators - telecommunications companies, utilities, and transportation industries - are facing growing user demand and require capital intensive infrastructure construction. The report adds that when artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) disrupt old business models, utilizing decentralized models may help them alleviate some of the pressure and maintain competitiveness.

One of the attractions of DePIN is issuing its own digital token, which can help incentivize project participation and network expansion. However, the current unclear global regulatory landscape makes compliance a problem, which may stifle the development of the industry. Connecting existing infrastructure with memory blockchain technology may also open up new attack avenues, posing network security risks.

Rajeev Bamra, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Economy Strategy at Moody's Ratings, told CoinDesk:

The motivation behind writing DePIN is to draw attention to the practical need for various industries to re evaluate infrastructure management strategies in a world increasingly driven by digital transformation

According to a report by digital asset market maker Wintermute, the increasing psychological market share of the DePIN industry is reflected in the growth of venture capital funds. So far this year, investors have allocated a total of $583 million in private investment to the DePIN project, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.

The Moody's report takes the decentralized wireless network project Helium (HNT) as an example, pointing out that there is promising development in this field. Helium deploys and maintains wireless network hotspots by rewarding users with tokens. The report states that the project has attracted over 350000 participants and gained over 100000 subscribers.