What is AI Mining and How to Earn from it

In traditional Bitcoin mining, GPUs calculate SHA-256 hashes — meaningless numbers whose only function is to prove that the miner has expended energy. The result of these calculations is needed only by the blockchain: Bitcoin users do not receive data analysis, text, or code from these hashes. All energy is a payment for security, and nothing more.

AI mining flips this logic. The GPU processes real requests to neural networks: generating text, analyzing data, writing code, translating documents, and answering questions. Every calculation creates real value for the end user — and that is exactly what they pay for. GPUs that previously calculated useless hashes are now servicing an AI computing market worth over $150 billion.

The economics of AI mining differ fundamentally from crypto mining:

• Cost via Gonka: ~$0.003 per million tokens
• Cost via OpenAI: $5—30 per million tokens (GPT-5.5)
• Difference: ~1,700 times — decentralized inference is thousands of times cheaper

This difference creates a giant market for decentralized AI providers. Any company paying OpenAI for an API can switch to Gonka — the OpenAI-compatible API allows this in 5 minutes simply by changing the endpoint URL.

Several projects offer earnings on GPUs via AI computing, but their approaches and terms differ fundamentally:

Gonka — the most direct path: GPU → AI queries → GNK. Model Kimi K2.6 (MoE). 100% of rewards go to those who actually provide GPUs, no staking. $80M investment from Coatue, Bitfury, Insight Partners. ~4,648 GPUs in the network. Entry threshold: pool from $100, server from $12,000/mo, your own GPU 40GB+ VRAM. Main advantage: maximum share of rewards for GPU miners.

Bittensor — the largest AI crypto project with 126+ subnets, each solving its own AI task. Market cap $2+ billion, TAO token traded on Coinbase and Binance. But the key problem: ~60% of rewards go to stakers (validators), not compute providers. Competitive staking requires $1M+ in TAO capital. This makes Bittensor more of a tool for large investors than for GPU miners.

io.net — a GPU aggregator without its own consensus. Essentially, it is a marketplace: an intermediary between GPU owners and AI companies. No built-in compute verification. Income depends on demand for your specific GPU configuration.

Nosana — GPU-inference on the Solana blockchain, focus on Llama models. Scale is still small compared to Gonka and Bittensor.

The profitability of AI mining depends on the project, GPU type, market conditions, and the chosen path. Let's look at the options for Gonka:

• Pool (from $1): the easiest path. You invest money, the operator rents GPUs, sets up nodes, and mines GNK for you. Ancapex — from $1, daily payouts. Gonka.Top collects a pool in 2 weeks from $100, monthly payouts. CloudMine (Mingles) — contracts by "weight" from 50, USDC on Base payment. Income: proportional to your contribution to the pool.
• Dedicated server (from $12,000/month): Gonka.Top provides a ready-to-use node with maintenance. All GNK income is yours, minus the rental fee. The operator handles setup, monitoring, and updates.
• Own host (requires NVIDIA GPU 40GB+ VRAM): maximum income — all rewards go to you without fees. But technical skills are needed: Linux, Docker, inferenced CLI.

Real income is tied to three variables: GNK price (the higher, the more income in fiat terms), network load (the more AI requests, the more tasks for nodes), and the number of GPUs in the network (the more competition, the fewer tasks per node).

In Bittensor: the best subnets generate $10M+/year cumulatively, but competitive participation requires a TAO stake of $1M+. For a typical GPU miner, the entry barrier is too high.

Disclaimer: these are cryptocurrencies, income is not guaranteed. The price of GNK can both rise and fall. Liquidity is currently limited (OTC on SafeTrade). Invest only discretionary funds that you are prepared to lose. Nothing on this website is financial advice.

Four steps from zero to your first GNK:

Step 1: Try AI for free (5 minutes). Our website has a built-in AI chat running via the Gonka network. It is free and requires no registration. Ask a question — and a real Kimi K2.6 neural network will answer via the decentralized network. This is the best way to make sure Gonka really works before investing.

Step 2: Choose your path (10 minutes). Determine how much you are ready to invest and what your technical level is:

• Pool (from $100): the operator does everything for you. Suitable for everyone, no technical knowledge required. Time: 10 minutes to register.
• Dedicated server (from $12,000/mo): Gonka.Top sets up the node, you receive GNK to your wallet. Time: 1—2 days for setup.
• Own host (requires NVIDIA GPU 40GB+ VRAM): maximum control and income. You need: Linux, Docker, inferenced CLI. Time: several hours for setup. Instructions in the mining guide.

Step 3: Install a wallet (5 minutes). To receive GNK, you need a wallet. Two options: GG Wallet — a Chrome extension, open source, suitable for desktop. Gonka.Wallet — Telegram Mini App, convenient for mobile. Both support Gonka addresses and allow you to receive, store, and send GNK.

Step 4: Connect and earn. For a pool — just send funds to the operator. For a server — Gonka.Top will connect you in 1—2 days. For your own host — install inferenced, load model weights, register on-chain. From first acquaintance to your first GNK — from 10 minutes (pool) to several hours (own host).