Why Run a Node

The Opportunity

Every day, billions of dollars flow to centralized cloud providers for coordination infrastructure. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud capture value whenever systems need to communicate, synchronize, or reach agreement.

As a Lattice node operator, you can redirect a portion of that spend to yourself.

Tashi's DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) replaces centralized cloud coordination with a global network of independent operators. When warehouse robots coordinate picking tasks, when AI agents discover each other's capabilities, when IoT sensors synchronize across boundaries, that coordination can flow through your infrastructure.

What You're Providing

Node operators provide the infrastructure layer that makes coordination possible:

Service	What It Does	Why It's Valuable
Discovery	Helps applications find available peers	Every meshnet starts with discovery
NAT Traversal	Connects devices behind firewalls	25-65% of traffic requires tunneling
Relay/Proxy	Routes traffic when direct connections fail	Essential for enterprise environments
Failover	Maintains consensus when participants fail	Ensures reliability
Validation	Confirms coordination events are legitimate	Builds network trust

These aren't speculative services. They're the same functions that cloud providers charge for today: discovery, routing, proxying, and reliability.

The Economic Model

Tashi's economics are transparent:

Revenue Share	Recipient
60%	Resource Node operators (you)
30%	Foundation (development, operations)
10%	Orchestrator operators

Within your 60% share:

• 30% based on successful job completions

• 10% based on availability (staying online)

• 20% allocated to incentive bonuses

What Makes This Different

Traditional DePIN projects often rely on token emissions to bootstrap network effects. Tashi's model is demand-driven:

1. Applications pay in USD for coordination services

2. Operators earn Reward Points backed 100:1 by USD

3. Reward Points can be spent on network services or converted to $TASHI

Your income scales with actual network usage by default. Operators who want to participate in token speculation can convert Reward Points to $TASHI, but that's a choice, not a requirement.

Who Should Run Nodes

Tashi's goal is to decentralize cloud infrastructure and allow anyone to participate, both technically and economically, in whatever capacity they can.

Node operation suits anyone who wants to be part of a decentralized cloud:

Profile	How You Participate
Home users	Run a node on spare hardware; contribute to decentralization
Infrastructure operators	Leverage existing hardware and connectivity at scale
Data centers	Monetize spare capacity near coordination demand
Web3 enthusiasts	Be part of building the decentralized infrastructure layer
Geographic specialists	Serve underserved regions with premium rates

The Lattice Layer

As a node operator, you're part of Lattice, the second layer in Tashi's three-layer architecture:

• Vertex (Layer 1): Where coordination happens, peer-to-peer consensus

• Lattice (Layer 2): Where coordination scales, your infrastructure

• Arc (Layer 3): Where coordination settles, blockchain bridges

Vertex handles the actual consensus between participants. Your infrastructure makes that consensus possible at global scale.

Getting Started

To run a node:

1. Review Node Types to understand the roles

2. Check Node Specifications for hardware requirements

3. Follow the Installation Guide to get started

4. Understand the Reputation System to maximize earnings

The Bigger Picture

Tashi's mission is to align devices with the interests of their owners. Node operators make this possible by providing infrastructure that serves device owners, not extractive platforms.

As coordination demand grows across robotics, AI agents, and IoT, node operators capture value that would otherwise flow to centralized cloud providers.