SAHARA: A Blockchain Platform for Democratizing Artificial Intelligence

What is SAHARA

Imagine we’re living in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, but most AI technology and data are controlled by just a few big companies—like a massive “AI empire.” Ordinary people find it hard to participate and benefit from AI’s development. The SAHARA project, officially called Sahara AI, aims to break this “AI empire” monopoly, making AI technology more open and fair, so everyone can join in creating, using, and profiting from AI.

Simply put, SAHARA is like a combination of an “AI free market” and an “AI creative workshop.” It’s a blockchain-based platform that lets you:

• Contribute data: For example, you can participate in data labeling tasks to help AI learn and recognize information—like being an “AI tutor” teaching it about the world.
• Develop AI models: If you have some technical background, you can develop your own AI models on SAHARA or use the platform’s tools to improve existing AI.
• Buy and sell AI assets: The platform provides a decentralized marketplace where you can buy and sell datasets, AI models, AI agents, and even computing resources—like a digital “AI department store.”

SAHARA’s core philosophy is “your knowledge, your AI.” It aims to use blockchain technology to make AI development, ownership, and usage transparent and traceable, ensuring every contributor gets fair rewards.

Tip: About the project abbreviation IMG
In the blockchain world, project names and token symbols can sometimes be confusing. Although you mentioned the abbreviation IMG, current mainstream information shows that the project named SAHARA uses SAHARA as its token symbol. Meanwhile, there is a separate project called “ImageCoin” that uses IMG as its token symbol. To avoid confusion, today we’re focusing on the “Sahara AI” project with the token symbol “SAHARA.”

Project Vision and Value Proposition

SAHARA’s vision is to build an open, fair, and collaborative AI ecosystem. The core problem it aims to solve is the “centralization” issue in today’s AI field:

• AI power concentration: A few tech giants control most AI technology, data, and computing resources, limiting AI’s development and applications, and making it hard for ordinary people to participate.
• Unfair contributor rewards: Many people contribute data unintentionally but can’t get their deserved share from AI’s value creation.
• Data privacy and ownership issues: Personal data is collected and used by centralized platforms, and users lack control over their own data.

SAHARA’s value proposition is that, through blockchain technology, it makes AI assets (like datasets and AI models) ownership clear and verifiable, ensuring contributors receive fair attribution and rewards. It’s like an “AI United Nations,” where developers, data providers, and users from around the world can build AI together in a transparent, decentralized framework, instead of a few “superpowers” calling the shots.

Compared to similar projects, SAHARA emphasizes that it is the first “full-stack, AI-native” blockchain platform. This means it not only provides AI development tools but also includes the underlying blockchain infrastructure, data service platform, and AI marketplace, covering the entire AI lifecycle from data to models to applications.

Technical Features

SAHARA’s technical architecture is like a carefully designed “AI skyscraper” with a solid foundation and multiple layers:

AI-Native Blockchain

The core of SAHARA is its own Sahara blockchain, a “Layer 1 blockchain” specifically designed for AI applications. Like a highway, this blockchain is built for AI data and model transactions, efficiently and securely recording all AI-related transactions, model ownership, and contribution information.

It is built using the Cosmos SDK (a development framework for building blockchains) and is EVM-compatible (Ethereum Virtual Machine), meaning developers from Ethereum can easily build on SAHARA.

Layered Architecture

The SAHARA platform adopts an advanced “four-layer architecture,” like different floors of a building, each with its own role:

• Application layer: This is the user-facing interface, providing various built-in applications to help users build and monetize AI assets.
• Transaction layer: This is the Sahara blockchain itself, managing all transactions related to ownership, access control, and attribution throughout the AI lifecycle.
• Data layer: Responsible for data storage, access, and transmission, combining on-chain (blockchain) and off-chain (outside blockchain) components to ensure efficient data management. For example, large datasets are stored off-chain for efficiency, but key information like ownership and transaction history is recorded on-chain for transparency and immutability.

Privacy Protection Technologies

To address the contradiction between data sharing and privacy protection in AI development, SAHARA uses advanced cryptographic technologies such as Zero-Knowledge Proofs and Homomorphic Encryption. It’s like putting an “invisibility cloak” on your data—your behavioral data and training materials can contribute value in AI collaboration, but the raw information won’t be leaked, protecting user privacy.

Tips:
* Layer 1 blockchain: Refers to the public chain itself, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and SAHARA is its own public chain. * Cosmos SDK: An open-source framework that helps developers quickly build custom blockchains. * EVM compatibility: Means it can run Ethereum smart contracts, making it easy for developers to migrate or deploy applications. * Zero-Knowledge Proofs: A cryptographic technology that can prove a statement is true without revealing any information. * Homomorphic Encryption: A cryptographic technology that allows computation on encrypted data without decrypting it; the result remains encrypted and matches the result of the same operation on unencrypted data.

Tokenomics

The core of the SAHARA ecosystem is its native utility token, also called SAHARA.

Basic Token Information

• Token Symbol: SAHARA
• Issuing Chain: Sahara blockchain
• Total Supply: 10,000,000,000 SAHARA
• Current Circulating Supply: As of June 29, 2025, the circulating supply is about 2,461,354,167 SAHARA.

Token Utility

The SAHARA token plays multiple roles in the ecosystem, acting as both the “universal currency” and “voting power” in this “AI free market”:

• Payments and licensing: Users can use SAHARA tokens to access or license datasets, use AI models, and purchase computing resources needed for AI development, deployment, and inference.
• Network fees (Gas Fee): As the native token of the Sahara blockchain, SAHARA is used to pay network transaction fees, ensuring network security and preventing spam.
• Incentivizing contributions: SAHARA tokens are used to reward participants who contribute to the ecosystem, such as providing high-quality datasets, developing innovative models, and maintaining infrastructure.
• Staking: SAHARA uses a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism; validators need to stake SAHARA tokens to participate in network validation, maintain network security, and earn rewards.
• Governance: SAHARA token holders can participate in community governance, voting on the project’s future direction and major decisions.

Token Allocation and Unlocking

SAHARA token allocation is designed to incentivize long-term ecosystem development and community participation:

• Ecosystem Development: 37.43%
• Community Incentives: 20.00%
• Investors: 19.75%
• Core Contributors: 15.00%
• Knowledge Airdrop: 5.00%
• Buidlpad IDO: 1.42%
• Binance HODLer Airdrop: 1.25% (125 million SAHARA tokens)
• Liquidity Provision: 1.00%
• OKX Campaign: 0.40%

Token unlocking usually follows a preset schedule to avoid excessive market volatility and ensure the project team and early investors are aligned with the project’s long-term development. For example, on November 26 and December 26, 2025, some SAHARA tokens will be unlocked.

Team, Governance, and Funding

Core Team

The SAHARA project is developed by Sahara Labs, an organization focused on AI research and development. Core team members include:

• Sean Ren (Co-founder & CEO): Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, recipient of MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators Under 35” (Asia Pacific) and Forbes Asia “30 Under 30,” with over ten years of professional experience in AI.
• Tyler Zhou (Co-founder & COO): Former Investment Director at Binance Labs, bringing valuable experience in blockchain and growth to the project.

The team also includes experts from Stanford, USC, UC Berkeley, Microsoft, Binance, Google, and other well-known institutions and companies.

Governance Mechanism

SAHARA is committed to decentralized governance, meaning major project decisions are community-driven rather than controlled by a few individuals. SAHARA token holders can participate in decision-making through voting, ensuring the ecosystem’s development aligns with the collective interests of the community.

Funding

The SAHARA project has strong financial backing, raising over $51.5 million in total. The Series A round alone raised $43 million, led by top VCs such as Pantera Capital, Polychain Capital, and Binance Labs, with participation from Samsung, Sequoia Capital, and others. This shows the project is recognized by leading investors in both crypto and traditional tech sectors.

Roadmap

Since its launch, the SAHARA project has achieved several important milestones and has clear plans for the future:

Key Historical Milestones

• April 2023: Sahara AI project established.
• 2024: Testnet launched, achieving significant early success with over 3.2 million on-chain accounts and 1.4 million daily active users. During the testnet, users earned token rewards through micro-tasks like data labeling and supported the development of large, permissionless datasets.
• May 19, 2025: SAHARA officially launched its public testnet SIWA, opening AI creation, collaboration, and monetization channels to all Web3 developers. The SIWA testnet will be rolled out in four phases, starting with decentralized data rights confirmation (ERC-721 certificates), then expanding to revenue sharing and open-source testnet.
• June 2025: Binance HODLer airdrop campaign, distributing 125 million SAHARA tokens to eligible users.

Future Plans

• Q3 2025: Mainnet launch planned, aiming to support large-scale decentralized AI applications.
• Ongoing development: The roadmap will be adjusted and updated based on market changes, technical team discoveries, and long-term business development.

Common Risk Reminders

All blockchain projects carry certain risks, and SAHARA is no exception. Before participating in any cryptocurrency project, it’s crucial to understand these risks:

• Technical and security risks: Although SAHARA uses advanced cryptography and blockchain architecture, there are still potential risks such as smart contract vulnerabilities, network attacks, or unknown risks in the underlying blockchain technology itself.
• Economic risks: The price of SAHARA tokens may be affected by market supply and demand, macroeconomic conditions, project progress, competition, and other factors, and may fluctuate sharply. The token unlocking schedule may also impact market liquidity and price.
• Compliance and operational risks: Global regulatory policies for cryptocurrencies and AI are still evolving, and future policy changes may affect the project’s operations and development. The team’s execution ability, community activity, and partnership stability are also operational risks to consider.
• Competitive risks: The AI and blockchain fields are highly competitive; SAHARA must continuously innovate and develop to maintain its market position.

Please note: The above information is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency investment is high risk—please conduct thorough independent research and make decisions based on your own risk tolerance.

Verification Checklist

To learn more about the SAHARA project, you can refer to the following official resources and information:

• Official website: SaharaAI.com (formerly saharalabs.ai)
• Whitepaper/Litepaper: The official website usually provides a download link for the whitepaper, which is the most comprehensive resource for understanding the project’s technical details and vision.
• GitHub activity: You can search for “sahara-labs” or “Sahara AI” on GitHub to check the codebase’s activity and learn about the project’s development progress and community contributions.
• Block explorer: As a Layer 1 blockchain, SAHARA should have its own block explorer where you can check on-chain transactions, token holders, and more.
• Social media and community: Follow the project’s official Twitter, Discord, Telegram, and other channels for the latest updates and community discussions.

Project Summary

SAHARA (Sahara AI) is an ambitious blockchain project dedicated to reshaping the development, ownership, and monetization model of artificial intelligence through decentralization. It aims to free AI control from the hands of a few tech giants and return it to developers and user communities worldwide, building a more open, fair, and collaborative AI ecosystem. With its AI-native blockchain, layered architecture, privacy protection technologies, and strong team and funding, SAHARA demonstrates huge potential at the intersection of AI and Web3.

However, like any emerging technology and project, SAHARA also faces technical, market, and regulatory challenges. For those interested, it’s recommended to study the official whitepaper and technical documents in depth, follow the project’s community development and real-world applications, and always remember the risks of cryptocurrency investment.

For more details, please do your own research. This article does not constitute any investment advice.