Solana's Natix and Grab Team Up to Expand DePIN Reach in US and Europe
Solana's Natix and Grab Team Up to Expand DePIN Reach in US and Europe
The collaboration will improve mapping accuracy by integrating the Natix network with Grab's mapping solutions.
Author: Margot Nijkerk | Edited by: Stephen Alpher Updated: May 7, 2025, 1:30 PM Published: May 6, 2025, 10:00 AM
What you need to know:
- NATIX, a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) focused on mapping data in Solana, on Tuesday announced a partnership with taxi service Grab to improve its mapping technology.
NATIX, a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) focused on mapping data in Solana, on Tuesday announced a partnership with taxi service Grab to improve its mapping technology.
Grab, known for its taxi services in Southeast Asia and crowdsourcing data for its mapping division, intends to use this collaboration with NATIX to expand its presence in the US and Europe.
The partnership involves the NATIX team using Grab’s hardware and software technology for mapping. “We’re in the business of collecting data and essentially monetizing it together,” Alireza Ghods, co-founder of NATIX, told CoinDesk. “They buy the data we generate to form their business process for the US and Europe. In turn, they provide us with both their hardware solutions and their AI technology, which basically analyzes images to create maps and mapping services like navigation.”
“We are starting in the EU and US markets where [Grab] is not present. So by merging with Grab, we are moving towards global expansion,” Gods added.
DePIN is a blockchain system that crowdsources physical infrastructure such as data collection and verifies it using decentralized technology. DePIN projects often grow in the Solana ecosystem due to its high transaction speed and low transaction costs.
NATIX is a project in the DePIN Solana ecosystem that allows users to contribute street data and map visuals using mobile devices. The crowdsourced data is then used to create decentralized maps that can be applied by AI models, especially for autonomous driving and smart city applications. Users are also rewarded with NATIX’s native token, $NATIX, for their contributions, which serves as an incentive to participate in the network.
“The reason we partnered is because of the strength of DePIN combined with proven enterprise technology,” Gods said. “I believe this is one of the few sectors in crypto that actually makes sense.”
Read more: DePIN 2.0: What's new in the next generation of DePIN
