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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.