diff --git a/src/content/Blog/Akash Communinity Pulse/banner-image.jpg b/src/content/Blog/Akash Communinity Pulse/banner-image.jpg new file mode 100644 index 000000000..e69de29bb diff --git a/src/content/Blog/Akash Communinity Pulse/index.md b/src/content/Blog/Akash Communinity Pulse/index.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..5bcc3af2a --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/Blog/Akash Communinity Pulse/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,198 @@ +--- +title: "Akash Community Pulse — September 2025 Edition" +description: "Your monthly roundup of updates from Akash Network Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Working Groups, Steering Committee, and the broader ecosystem " + +pubDate: "2025-09-30" +draft: false +archive: false +categories: + - Community Pulse +tags: + - Akash Network + - SIG Updates + - Working groups +contributors: + - George Appiah +bannerImage: ./banner-image.png + +--- + + +# SIGs and WGs Recaps — September 2025 Edition + +Welcome to the **September 2025 edition of the Akash Community Pulse**, your monthly roundup of everything happening across the Akash Network’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Steering Committee, and broader ecosystem. Whether you’re a builder, validator, community contributor, or simply curious about what’s next, this Pulse keeps you informed. + +Want deeper insights? Full meeting notes are available on [GitHub](https://github.com/akash-network/community). + +Let’s dive into the key highlights and what’s ahead. + +![Akash Community Pulse — September 2025](./banner-image.jpg) + +## 👥 SIG — Community + +September was a month of collaboration, educational initiatives, and forward momentum across Akash’s community programs. + +**Key Updates:** + +- Community programs remain active across all tracks — **Vanguards, Ring Masters, Navigators, and Alchemists** — with growth in contributions and global engagement. +- **Navigators** are now supported by a new sales/business development hire to assist with client onboarding. +- **Alchemist program** continues to grow, now hosting five live courses on Akash EDU with 280+ student sign-ups. +- The **Regional Leads program** was delayed slightly due to budget recalibration, but a Q4 governance proposal will outline new funding and pilot participants. +- **Zealy missions** expanded to 15, with a $500 IO game platform contest planned to attract hobbyist developers. +- Community-led initiatives continue, including preparations for Akash’s presence at **DevConnect Buenos Aires** and a new **VPN community project (vpn.akash.network)** under review. +- **Molach Research** presented its **Sovereign Agent Framework**, showcasing self-sustaining AI agents powered by Akash infrastructure. + +**Action Call:** + +- Join the **DevConnect coordination channel** to participate in planning. +- Apply to become a **Regional Lead** and support global expansion. +- Participate in the **Zealy IO contest** and community GitHub discussions. + + +## 🛠 SIG — Support + +The Support SIG achieved a major milestone this month with **zero open issues awaiting triage** — a first for the group. + +**Key Updates:** + +- All issues in the Support repository were proactively assigned upon creation, reflecting improved responsiveness and collaboration between the community, insiders, and core teams. +- Key discussions centered around **CLI and AkashJS manifest submission issues**, which were traced to the JWT-enabled provider release and have since been resolved. +- A stable post-rollback release was confirmed, and console deployments remained unaffected. +- Preparations are underway for the **Cosmos SDK 53 network upgrade**, now shifted to October for additional testing. +- Community support initiatives such as **Zealy** and **Contributions** programs continue to perform strongly, with growth metrics surpassing expectations. + +**Action Call:** + +- Continue surfacing trends from Discord for issue escalation. +- Join the **Provider SIG** and **Steering Committee** sessions for migration updates. +- Participate in the **Zealy** and **Contributions** initiatives. + +📅 **Next Support SIG Meeting:** October 2025 + + +## 📡 SIG — Providers + +The Providers SIG focused on migration readiness and ecosystem-wide adoption of JWT authentication. + +**Key Updates:** + +- The **Provider Console team** is finalizing JWT authentication integration and SDK 53 upgrade support, now in sandbox testing. +- Work continues on the **Akash@Home** initiative, enabling simple ISO-based setup for home providers. +- A recent provider release introducing JWT experienced a minor certificate bug, prompting a temporary rollback. A fixed version is expected imminently. +- Providers are strongly encouraged to **upgrade before the SDK 53 network upgrade** to ensure job distribution optimization. +- A **Dubai-based provider proposal** is under community review for potential funding via the community pool. + +**Action Call:** + +- Review and comment on the **Dubai Provider Proposal**. +- Prepare infrastructure for the **SDK 53 upgrade**. +- Join provider discussions in Discord for rollout updates. + +📅 **Next Providers SIG Meeting:** October 2025 + + +## 💰 SIG — Economics + +September’s Economics SIG focused on **leadership transition, network incentives, and foundation operations**. + +**Key Updates:** + +- Following **Scott Hewitson’s** transition from Overclock Labs, **Tyler Wright** and **Cheng Wang** now co-facilitate SIG Economics. +- The **Decentralized Cloud Foundation (DCF) Operational Expenses Proposal** is being finalized to ensure independent, compliant global operations with professional fiduciary oversight. +- **Tenant Incentive Programs (TIPs)** remain on track but are pending the **Cosmos SDK 53 migration**, which will unlock new functionalities. +- **Provider Incentive Pilot 03 (PIP 03)** focuses on scaling GPU availability using next-gen chips (B200s, RTX 590s, Pro 6000s). +- **PIP 04** will extend usage of existing GPUs (H100s) to maintain continuity and expand research-driven use cases. + +**Action Call:** + +- Review discussions for **DCF operational expenses** and **PIP 03–04**. +- Engage in feedback threads ahead of upcoming on-chain votes. + +📅 **Next Economics SIG Meeting:** October 2025 + + +## 🎨 SIG — Design + +The Design SIG advanced Akash’s visual and user experience strategy across products and events. + +**Key Updates:** + +- **Design deliverables** completed for major events including Token 2049, Open Source AI Week, and the PyTorch Conference. +- A new **design system** built with **shadCN components** is being integrated across all Akash products to enhance UI consistency and accessibility. +- **Antidote** continues to lead digital and outdoor marketing campaigns; their H2 Growth Proposal introduces a quarterly review cycle. +- **Stake Capital** presented a proposal for a $70K collaboration to onboard AI and Web3 projects through research and business development. +- The **Website and Documentation Working Group** resumed asynchronous contributions, with outstanding contributor rewards set for payout. + +**Action Call:** + +- Review and comment on the **Stake Capital collaboration proposal**. +- Contribute to ongoing **website and documentation updates** via GitHub. + +📅 **Next Design SIG Meeting:** October 2025 + + +## 🔗 SIG — Chain + +This month’s Chain SIG focused on **testnet progress**, **escrow feature readiness**, and **upgrade planning**. + +**Key Updates:** + +- The **Cosmos SDK 53** codebase is in its **code freeze phase**, with the **escrow account top-up feature (AEP75)** successfully integrated and tested. +- Testnet is active and open for community participation, pending resolution of one provider issue. +- Validators should prepare hardware with **128GB RAM and double swap space**. +- The tentative upgrade date of **September 24** may shift to **October** to ensure sufficient preparation time. +- Communication of final validator requirements will be announced in Discord and GitHub milestones. + +**Action Call:** + +- Prepare validator infrastructure for the upcoming upgrade. +- Join testnet activities and report results in SIG Chain channels. + +📅 **Next Chain SIG Meeting:** October 2025 + + +## 🧭 Steering Committee + +The Steering Committee consolidated updates from all SIGs and discussed network readiness, proposals, and community growth. + +**Key Updates:** + +- The **Cosmos SDK 53 network upgrade** remains the top priority, with a short downtime expected during rollout. +- CLI and provider bugs identified during testing are being resolved, with a patch release imminent. +- Major event activations include **Token 2049**, **PyTorch Conference**, **SmartCon NYC**, **Austin Hackathon**, and **NeurIPS**. +- The **University Ambassador Program** launches with ambassadors from top universities (UT Austin, USC, Cornell, Princeton). +- The **Zealy Program** continues to scale, integrating **AkashVPN** challenges and game server demos. +- The **Q4 Community Growth Proposal** introduces a phased rollout for the **Regional Leads Program**. +- **Germany Beal’s Digital Immortality Framework** proposal advanced toward an on-chain vote, backed by validator engagement. +- The **Decentralized Cloud Foundation (DCF)** proposal will move on-chain following final review. + +**Action Call:** + +- Review open governance proposals, especially **DCF operations (#1013)**. +- Join the **University Ambassador** and **Zealy learning initiatives**. +- Participate in **Hacktoberfest** and SIG contribution drives. + +📅 **Next Steering Committee Meeting:** October 2025 + + +## 🔮 What’s Ahead — October 2025 + +- **Cosmos SDK 53 mainnet upgrade** and validator testing. +- **JWT authentication rollout** across providers and consoles. +- **Hacktoberfest** contribution drive and community rewards. +- **DevConnect Buenos Aires** community presence and coordination. +- **Stake Capital collaboration proposal** review and community feedback. +- **Website redesign**, **console updates**, and **Zealy integrations**. + + +### Stay involved. Stay informed. + +Join the conversation, contribute to proposals, and help shape the future of decentralized cloud computing: + +🔗 [GitHub](https://github.com/akash-network) +💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/akash) +📚 [Docs](https://docs.akash.network) +📰 [X/Twitter](https://x.com/akashnet_) +🌐 [Website](https://akash.network) +📅 [Community Calendar](https://akash.network/community) — the source of truth for meeting times. +