TL;DR:

The world’s first DePIN grand event — DePIN Expo 2025 — successfully concluded at Hong Kong Cyberport! The expo brought together global industry leaders, scholars, and developers, focusing on decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN), AI, and Web3 frontier applications. With over 20 innovative projects showcased, it highlighted Hong Kong’s strategic position as an international DePIN hub and opened a new chapter for real-world infrastructure and economic models.

From August 27 to 28, 2025, DePIN Expo 2025 was successfully held at Hong Kong Cyberport, jointly initiated by CGV and DeMall, organized by Web3Labs, MetaEra, and Techub News, with Cyberport as a co-organizer. As the world’s first flagship industry event dedicated to Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), the expo, themed “Life, Reimagined with DePIN,” brought together global industry leaders, scholars, investors, and developers to explore how DePIN technologies can reshape real-world infrastructure and economic models.

Opening Address: Hong Kong as a Strategic Hub for DePIN and Web3

The conference officially kicked off with an opening speech by Dr. Rocky Cheng, CEO of Hong Kong Cyberport. Dr. Rocky Cheng stated: “As Hong Kong’s digital technology hub and AI accelerator, Cyberport hosts over 2,200 startups and the city’s largest blockchain and digital asset ecosystem, including more than 290 blockchain companies. Through the ‘Web3.0 Investment Circle’ under the Cyberport Investors Network, we have gathered over 40 investment entities focusing on blockchain technology, driving deep integration between DePIN and the real economy. We are building a complete ecosystem that connects technology adoption, capital, and industry applications, while actively leveraging Cyberport’s supercomputing center and AI ecosystem resources to promote deeper integration of AI and blockchain technologies. This will accelerate the application of blockchain in the real economy and open up broader opportunities for digital assets, blockchain, and the Web3.0 industry.”

At the opening remarks, Kevin Ren, initiator of DePIN Expo and Asia-Pacific partner of CGV Fund, delivered a keynote themed “Life, Reimagined with DePIN.” He systematically elaborated on the categories of DePIN and its practical applications in everyday life. He emphasized that DePIN is not only the physical carrier combining AI and Web3, but also the key infrastructure for realizing the “machine economy.” Kevin also announced that the DeAI Expo will be held in 2026, further promoting the integration of decentralized AI with the physical world.

Keynote Speeches: Technology Integration and Ecosystem Building in the Spotlight

Yao Ding, Head of Growth for Asia Pacific at the Solana Foundation, shared how the Solana network, with its high performance and low-cost features, empowers the development of DePIN projects. Backed by data, he demonstrated that Solana has become one of the preferred blockchains for DePIN deployment.

Dr. Kailong Cai, CEO of NANO bit, approached the topic from the perspective of compliance and capital markets. He pointed out that the cryptocurrency industry is undergoing a “one-way integration into Wall Street.” He emphasized that high-quality projects need to unlock their value through U.S. stock listings or compliant capital markets, and he provided an in-depth analysis of the interaction between industry, market, and regulatory forces.

Professor Allen Yang from the University of California, Berkeley, highlighted from an academic standpoint that the energy consumption of AI applications may pose centralization risks. He noted that decentralized computing platforms and edge computing will be critical solutions. In particular, he stressed the demand of Embodied AI for real-time local processing power and called for the decentralized and federated development of AI edge computing.

Policy and Legislative Support: Hong Kong Actively Building a Web3-Friendly Environment

In the opening address on the afternoon of the 27th, Dr. Johnny Ng, Member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR and Member of the CPPCC, gave a detailed overview of Hong Kong’s legislative progress in the virtual asset sector. He noted that Hong Kong has issued 11 virtual asset exchange licenses and introduced stablecoin regulations, with new rules for over-the-counter (OTC) trading and custody services expected next year. Dr. Ng highlighted that the global data asset market is valued at around USD 4 trillion, of which 93% are native tokens, while real-world asset tokenization (RWA) accounts for less than 1%, leaving huge potential for growth. He emphasized that Hong Kong will work in coordination with the United States to drive industry innovation and urged entrepreneurs to seize opportunities in DePIN and RWA development.

Caspar, CEO of Web3Labs, further added that Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary has allocated funding to support Cyberport’s Web3 ecosystem. Over the past two years, more than 50 projects have been incubated, with incubation programs launched in collaboration with multiple public chains, providing entrepreneurs with comprehensive support.

Panel Discussions: Exploring the Integration of DePIN with AI and Web3

On the morning of the 27th, the panel “Hong Kong’s Role and Path in the DePIN × Web3 Ecosystem” was moderated by Seven, COO of MetaEra. Speakers agreed that Hong Kong, with its international financial standing and open policies, has unique advantages in becoming a DePIN hub. Pauline Fan, Senior Vice President of InvestHK, stressed the importance of open-source communities. Rachel Lee from Cyberport noted that efforts will continue to attract public chains and ecosystem projects to settle in Hong Kong. William Wang from the Hong Kong Federation of Innovative Technologies emphasized that DePIN can draw AI talent to Hong Kong. Yao Ding from the Solana Foundation highlighted Hong Kong’s market potential as a bridge between East and West, while Crystal Tang, CEO of Hitch, shared insights from the Hitch Open competition.

Another panel, “How Can DePIN Become the New Global Infrastructure Entry Point?” was moderated by Edward, Partner at CGV, and featured Henrique Centieiro, Research Lead at peaq, Chris Bian Ong from the DPIN Foundation, Logan N from Hyra Network, Gunjan, VP at Beamable, and Ryan Ma from FMG. The panelists discussed from three perspectives—enterprise middleware, data sovereignty, and compliance transformation—pointing out that DePIN is evolving from consumer-facing applications to compliant enterprise services, becoming the “new operating system for the real world.”

On the 28th, the panel “Is AI × DePIN Rewriting the Protocols of the Real World?” was moderated by Lin, SVP at Nano Bit. IoTeX Eastern emphasized that the current priority is addressing the challenges of AI black boxes and trust. JT Song from 0G Labs introduced 0G’s one-stop data storage, computing power, and consensus solutions for DePIN. Heric noted that users today prefer devices with built-in earning mechanisms. Larry from the Kaia Foundation argued that DePIN’s success depends on user base, real value applications, and network effects. QuanYu from RootData shared investment insights, noting that DePIN remains one of the sectors most closely watched by capital.

Project Open Stage and Ecosystem Showcase: Innovative Applications on Stage

The conference featured an Open Stage session, where more than 20 DePIN projects were presented live. These covered a wide range of fields, including decentralized storage, edge computing, smart hardware, data collection, and payment solutions. The categories of participating projects are shown in the chart below.

Closing Outlook: DePIN Ecosystem Continues to Evolve, Hong Kong as an Innovation Engine

The conference concluded amid partnership signings and lively exchanges. TokenPost and Techub News completed strategic agreements, further expanding the global media influence of DePIN Expo.

DePIN Expo 2025 not only showcased the latest advances in DePIN technology but also highlighted Hong Kong’s strategic position as an international Web3 and DePIN hub. From policy support to capital investment, and from academic research to industrial applications, Hong Kong is rapidly becoming a central node connecting the East and West in the DePIN ecosystem.

Looking ahead, DePIN Expo will continue to strive to become the “CES of the Web3 world,” promoting the widespread adoption of decentralized technologies and empowering the physical world.

🌐 Official Website: https://depinexpo.ai

🐦 Official Twitter: @ExpoDePIN

DePIN Expo 2025 is the world’s first professional exhibition focused on Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), to be held in Hong Kong in August 2025. Under the theme “Life, Reimagined with DePIN,” the conference will gather top global DePIN projects, public chain teams, investment institutions, hardware manufacturers, and policymakers, creating a panoramic industry event that encompasses ecosystem display, physical interaction, node deployment, industrial collaboration, and urban demonstration. It is committed to promoting DePIN technology from concept validation to large-scale implementation.