Key Highlights
- Chainlink CCIP powers Project Rubicon, bringing Bittensor subnet tokens to Base.
- Subnet belongings develop into ERC-20 liquid-staked tokens (xAlpha) usable in DeFi.
- The launch expands Chainlink’s cross-chain footprint alongside latest institutional partnerships.
Chainlink has develop into the core infrastructure supplier for Project Rubicon, a protocol designed by Common TAO Ventures to carry Bittensor’s subnet alpha tokens into the broader Web3 economic system.
Introduced on November 19, this marks the primary main effort to make Bittensor’s decentralized AI subnets liquid, composable, and tradable on mainstream DeFi rails, beginning with Base.
What Project Rubicon does
Project Rubicon permits non-custodial liquid staking of Bittensor subnet alpha tokens, changing them into ERC-20 liquid-staked belongings referred to as xAlpha. These tokens will be bridged to Base and utilized in DeFi apps comparable to Aerodrome. Every subnet begins with round $300,000 in preliminary liquidity throughout Alpha/USDC pairs.
By integrating Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), Rubicon makes use of Chainlink as its canonical and security-hardened bridge. CCIP verifies cross-chain transfers and permits 1:1 mint-and-burn flows with out counting on third-party bridges.
Victor Teixeira, CIO of Common TAO Ventures, said the launch marks the second “Bittensor can capitalize on its unparalleled intelligence community,” including that the collaboration “unleashes a military of subnet groups to beat new frontiers in Web3 liquidity.”
Chainlink Labs echoed the significance of the combination. “Project Rubicon helps carry Bittensor’s decentralized AI subnets into the broader onchain economic system,” mentioned Johann Eid, Chainlink’s Chief Enterprise Officer.
Bittensor is without doubt one of the fastest-growing decentralized AI networks, however its tokens have been tough to make use of outdoors its personal ecosystem. Project Rubicon solves liquidity fragmentation by making subnet belongings interoperable with Ethereum-compatible markets and DeFi purposes.
For subnet homeowners, the design unlocks liquidity with out promoting underlying belongings. For stakers, it introduces new rewards by way of LP charges and staking methods. For builders, CCIP’s rollout on Bittensor’s EVM now permits cross-chain purposes constructed on a unified, safe interoperability layer.
Chainlink’s increasing interoperability footprint
Project Rubicon follows a sequence of institutional partnerships for Chainlink. Earlier this month, regulated Dutch change NPEX and the Nightfall Community adopted CCIP and Chainlink oracles to launch compliant European securities on-chain. The partnership goals to determine a framework for regulated tokenization and cross-chain settlement.
What comes subsequent
Rubicon launches with 17 Bittensor subnets, with extra anticipated as liquidity grows. CCIP is now dwell on Bittensor EVM, enabling builders so as to add cross-chain flows to future subnet apps. Aerodrome’s first liquidity swimming pools are already lively, opening the door to a wider AI-DeFi market on Base.
As decentralized AI expands and Chainlink’s interoperability stack beneficial properties traction in finance and controlled programs, Project Rubicon acts as a bridge not solely between chains but additionally between two of Web3’s fastest-moving sectors.
Additionally learn: Bitwise’s Spot Chainlink ETF Listed on DTCC Under Ticker CLNK
