NodeShift aims to rival hyperscalers with its decentralized cloud platform
NodeShift aims to democratize access to excess compute capacity beyond the large cloud providers by providing a single API to tap into resources from independent data center operators and decentralized web services like Akash and Filecoin. The company recently raised a $3.2 million seed funding round led by Inovo.vc, with participation from Notion Capital, 10X Founders, Kestrel0x1, and Epic Games.
The idea for NodeShift was born when founders Andrey Surkov and Mihai Mărcuță met as interns at Cisco in 2016. While Surkov remained at Cisco and explored crypto, Mărcuță went on to work at Microsoft Azure, Twitter, and Epic Games in London. The concept crystallized during a trip to Turkey, where Surkov pitched the idea of making excess data center capacity accessible to developers while waiting for a friend to undergo a hair transplant.
Many data centers have unused capacity, with 10 to 20% lying idle. NodeShift taps into this surplus capacity, offering it to developers at significantly lower prices compared to traditional cloud providers — up to 70 to 80% cheaper. The platform also provides access to Nvidia accelerators like the A100 GPUs at discounted rates, as well as consumer-grade accelerators like the RTX 4090 gaming GPUs through Web3 services.
Surkov’s background in networking at Cisco and experience with decentralized systems in crypto fueled his interest in removing friction from decentralized compute. He recognized the challenge of using decentralized compute due to the complexity of acquiring tokens for each crypto project to fund infrastructure. NodeShift aims to streamline this process by providing a seamless experience through a single API, making it easier for developers to access and utilize decentralized compute resources.
In a business context, the cumbersome process of acquiring various cryptocurrencies for infrastructure funding presents a barrier. NodeShift seeks to address this challenge by offering affordable and accessible decentralized compute resources through its platform, ultimately democratizing access to excess compute capacity for developers and businesses alike.
