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AI-focused cryptocurrencies outperformed the broader market on Monday, Jan. 5, with the sector’s total market value rising about 6.3% over the past 24 hours to roughly $29.5 billion, according to CoinGecko.
Render (RENDER) led the market, jumping as much as 34% earlier in the day before retracing – it’s currently up around 15%. The move made RENDER the top gainer not only among AI-focused tokens but also across CoinGecko’s Top 100 cryptocurrencies.
Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) also surged 24% to $1.10, while Bittensor (TAO) edged up roughly 2% to trade near $270.
The rally comes as interest grows around how AI infrastructure is built and where computing power comes from as usage expands. Trevor Harries-Jones, a board member at the Render Network Foundation, told The Defiant that access to computing power is becoming a growing challenge as AI moves into everyday use.
“That’s pushing more attention toward alternative models for sourcing GPUs and compute,” Harries-Jones said. “In that context, decentralized networks are part of a wider conversation about how AI infrastructure gets built and distributed going forward.”
Maja Vujinovic, CEO and co-founder of FG Nexus, agreed that RENDER is benefiting from real demand for decentralized GPU infrastructure, but cautioned that VIRTUAL’s rally is being driven more by speculation.
"VIRTUAL is rising on anticipation of upcoming AI-agent marketplace launches and renewed interest in autonomous on-chain agents that can transact and generate revenue independently,” Vijinovic said. “Mostly speculation at this point.”
Other AI-linked tokens also moved higher on the day: NEAR Protocol (NEAR) rose 3%, and Internet Computer (ICP) climbed around 5.7%. Trading activity also increased alongside prices, with 24-hour volume across AI tokens reaching roughly $207.6 million.
Today’s rally comes amid a broader uptick across digital assets, as investors rotate back into risk assets following a prolonged downturn.