{"id":"hippius","title":"Hippius","content":"**Hippius** is a decentralized data storage network built as a subnet on the [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), where it is identified as Subnet 75 (SN75). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-7oduoOkyvC9cRb0o) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0) It is designed to function as a high-performance, cost-effective, and permanent storage layer for Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, [decentralized applications](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-application) (dApps), and the broader [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) ecosystem. The network operates as a decentralized physical infrastructure network ([DePIN](https://iq.wiki/wiki/depin)) by creating a marketplace for storage providers (miners) to offer their hard drive capacity, which is then verified by a network of validators. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-5w3dDjDqd7AmzXwE) A key feature is its S3-compatible API, which allows developers to migrate applications from centralized cloud storage services like Amazon S3 with minimal code modifications. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jD6P4RLgcts)\n\n## Overview\n\nHippius aims to address the challenges of high costs, centralization, and vendor lock-in associated with traditional cloud storage providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-7oduoOkyvC9cRb0o) The project's mission is to serve as the foundational \"hard drive for AI\" within the [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) ecosystem, providing a persistent and verifiable \"memory\" for [AI agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents) and models. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0) By leveraging a global network of independent storage providers, Hippius creates a competitive marketplace where storage prices are determined by supply and demand dynamics, with the goal of being significantly cheaper than centralized alternatives. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-5w3dDjDqd7AmzXwE)​\n\nThe network is built for \"hot storage,\" focusing on high-throughput and low-latency access for active AI workloads rather than long-term, cold archival storage. Data uploaded to the network is encrypted, split into erasure-coded shards, and distributed across multiple miners. This method is designed to ensure data redundancy, security, and resilience against single points of failure. The integrity and availability of this data are continuously audited by the network's [validators](https://iq.wiki/wiki/validator), who are incentivized through the [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) protocol. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-7oduoOkyvC9cRb0o) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-5w3dDjDqd7AmzXwE)​\n\nA co-founder of the project articulated the value of its S3-compatible design:\n\n> \"The core value proposition of our S3-compatible endpoint is its ability to serve as a 'drop-in' replacement. For developers currently leveraging AWS S3, migrating to Hippius is as simple as changing the service endpoint URL and swapping out their access keys. Zero code change. Full compatibility.\" [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0)\n\n## History and Funding\n\nIn April 2024, Hippius announced the completion of a $3.5 million seed funding round. The round was co-led by [dao5](https://iq.wiki/wiki/dao5) and Ghaf Capital Partners. Other participating investors included Faculty Group, Spicy Capital, OP Crypto, Metamatic, canonical, Momentum 6, Big Brain Holdings, arbitrary, Zephyrus Capital, Aza ventures, [Crypto Times](https://iq.wiki/wiki/crypto-times), Alpha Protocol Ventures, Contango, NxGen, NewTribe Capital, and Cogitent Ventures. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0)​\n\nThe network executed a phased launch in early 2025. This rollout began on March 19, 2025, with the launch of the [genesis block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/genesis-block), project website, and open-sourcing of the codebase. Following this, a miner onboarding phase commenced, allowing community members to set up and register storage nodes. On March 26, 2025, the Hippius Web Dashboard was released, enabling end-users to begin testing storage services. The final stage, scheduled for April 2, 2025, involved the activation of the [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) bridge to facilitate value transfer between the Hippius network and the main Bittensor chain. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-BjjnnEoe1VQATrX3)​\n\n## Technology and Architecture\n\nThe Hippius network is composed of three primary layers: the Hermes Gateway, the Hippius Subnet on [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao), and the Arion P2P network. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5)​\n\n### Hermes Gateway\n\nHermes is the user-facing gateway and orchestration layer that acts as the primary entry point for applications. It provides a standard S3-compatible API endpoint (`httpss://s3.hippius.com`) and manages user authentication, billing, and access key management. For onboarding, it supports OAuth through services like Google and GitHub. For payments, it integrates Stripe for traditional credit card payments alongside [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) payments in [TAO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao). Hermes intelligently routes user data to storage providers (miners) on the Arion network based on performance and availability metrics. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5)​\n\n### Bittensor Subnet 75\n\nThis layer functions as the on-chain incentive and verification mechanism on the [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) [mainnet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/mainnet). It coordinates the network's economic activity and ensures integrity. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5)​\n\n* **Miners (Storage Providers):** Anyone can run the Hippius miner software to offer their storage capacity to the network. They are compensated with [TAO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) (the native token of Bittensor) based on the amount of storage they provide and their success in passing audits conducted by [validators](https://iq.wiki/wiki/validator). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-7oduoOkyvC9cRb0o)\n* **Validators:** These participants run nodes that continuously audit the miners. They execute the Arion consensus protocol by issuing challenges to miners to verify that they are correctly storing the data they claim to hold. Validators are also rewarded in TAO for their role in securing the network and identifying honest miners. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-7oduoOkyvC9cRb0o)\n\n### Arion Storage Engine\n\nArion is the custom-built, high-performance distributed storage engine that underpins the Hippius network, written in Rust. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0) It was developed from the ground up to address the perceived limitations of other decentralized storage systems like [IPFS](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ipfs), particularly concerning data discovery latency and native durability guarantees. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-1GMUdreF4c0pYafr)​\n\n#### Content Discovery\n\nArion uses a deterministic O(1) computation to locate data, which eliminates the need for a network-wide search across a Distributed Hash Table (DHT). The location of a file is computed locally by the client using the formula: `File location = CRUSH(Hash(file), Cluster Map)`.\n\n* **CRUSH (Controlled Replication Under Scalable Hashing):** A modified implementation of the CRUSH algorithm used by the Ceph distributed storage system. It deterministically maps data to specific storage nodes.\n* **Cluster Map:** An on-chain blueprint containing information about all active storage providers, including their capacity and reputation. Clients download this map to compute file locations in microseconds. This allows data retrieval to function even if the network's validators are temporarily offline. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-1GMUdreF4c0pYafr)\n\n#### Data Durability and Fault Tolerance\n\nTo ensure high data durability, Arion implements Reed-Solomon erasure coding. When a file is uploaded, it is split into 30 shards: 10 data shards and 20 parity shards. The original file can be fully reconstructed from any 10 of these 30 shards. This provides a fault tolerance that can withstand the simultaneous failure of up to 20 [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) (or 66.6% of the nodes storing a file's shards) without data loss. This 10+20 coding scheme results in a fixed 300% storage overhead. The system is also topology-aware, preventing multiple shards of the same file from being stored in the same potential failure domain, such as a single datacenter. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-1GMUdreF4c0pYafr)​\n\n#### Self-Healing\n\nThe Arion protocol features a fully automated, proactive self-healing mechanism that functions as an \"immune system\" for data. [Validators](https://iq.wiki/wiki/validator) continuously monitor the health of all data shards. If a shard becomes degraded or lost, the system automatically fetches 10 healthy shards for that file, mathematically reconstructs the missing shard, and uploads the new shard to a healthy replacement [node](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node). The on-chain Cluster Map is then updated to reflect the new location. This process requires no intervention from the user who owns the data. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-1GMUdreF4c0pYafr)​\n\n#### Performance and Security\n\nFor high-speed downloads, Arion uses a technique called Grid Streaming. When a user requests a file, the gateway establishes parallel QUIC streams to multiple miners holding the file's shards. The shards are downloaded simultaneously and reassembled on the client side, potentially achieving an aggregate bandwidth greater than any single server's connection speed. To prevent network centralization, Arion uses a Hybrid Weighted Selection model to distribute data. A node's weight is calculated as `Storage Capacity × Reputation Score`, where the reputation score is earned over time through high uptime and successful data audits. This system incentivizes long-term reliability and stability from storage providers. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-1GMUdreF4c0pYafr)​\n\n## Economic Model and Tokenomics\n\nThe Hippius economic model is designed around the two-sided marketplace of storage consumers and providers, with incentives primarily powered by the [Bittensor](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) network's TAO token. Miners and validators who contribute to the network's operation and security receive a share of the TAO emissions allocated to Subnet 75. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-5w3dDjDqd7AmzXwE) User payments for storage services generate revenue that is distributed on-chain, with one source outlining a model where 60% goes to storage miners, 30% to validators and their nominators, and 10% to a network treasury for development. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-BjjnnEoe1VQATrX3)​\n\n### Token Information\n\nThere are conflicting reports across various sources regarding a native token for the Hippius project.\n\n* One source identifies an [ERC-20](https://iq.wiki/wiki/erc-20) token on [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) named Hippius (HIP) with the contract address `0xf53bBFB515757F93c4025b542eA8A34c1143D398`. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-E86NpkAx4GJbffd0)\n* Another source's market data refers to a token with the ticker SN75, with a listed circulating and total supply of 3,988,762 and a max supply of 21,000,000. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-7oduoOkyvC9cRb0o)\n* A third source describes a native token for the Hippius chain named Alpha (α) that operates under [Bittensor's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) Dynamic TAO framework, making it convertible to and from TAO via an on-chain [automated market maker](https://iq.wiki/wiki/automated-market-maker) (AMM). [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-BjjnnEoe1VQATrX3)\n* In contrast, the project's official documentation states that the network does not have its own token and instead utilizes [Bittensor's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bittensor-tao) native token, TAO, for both network incentives and as a payment option for users. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5)\n\n## Platform Usage and Features\n\nTo use Hippius, a developer or user follows a process designed to be familiar to those accustomed to Web2 services. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5)\n\n### Onboarding and S3 Integration\n\n1. **Account Creation:** Users sign up on the Hippius Console (`console.hippius.com`) using a Google or GitHub account via OAuth.\n2. **Add Credits:** The account is funded in the \"Billing\" section using either a credit card or by depositing TAO. These credits are consumed on a pay-per-use basis for storage and bandwidth.\n3. **Generate Credentials:** In the \"S3 Storage\" section, the user generates API credentials, which include an Access Key ID and a Secret Key.\n4. **Upload Files:** With these credentials, users can configure any S3-compatible tool (such as AWS [CLI](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cli), `boto3` for Python, or `rclone`) to upload and manage files. The only changes required are updating the endpoint URL and credentials.\n\nThe specific S3 connection settings are:\n\n* **Endpoint:** `https://s3.hippius.com`\n* **Region:** `decentralized`\n* **Signature:** AWS Signature V4\n* **Addressing:** Path-style [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-hvYlNgz66GbTIFw5)\n\n### Tools and Use Cases\n\nThe Hippius ecosystem includes several tools for users and developers:\n\n* **Hippius Console:** A web interface for managing services, payments, and credentials.\n* **Desktop App:** A client for enabling automatic backups from a computer to the Hippius network.\n* **Hipstats:** An indexer that provides analytics on the Hippius subnet, including real-time monitoring of storage nodes. [\\[7\\]](#cite-id-tNLdqa2yhnhIXXIW) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-5w3dDjDqd7AmzXwE)\n\nPrimary use cases for the network include serving as a low-cost alternative to services like Google Photos and Dropbox for personal file storage; providing infrastructure for professionals like photographers who manage large data volumes; offering an affordable layer for AI researchers to store and share massive datasets; and for long-term archiving of project backups. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-5w3dDjDqd7AmzXwE) As of early 2026, the network was reported to have over 120 active nodes providing nearly 600 TB of total storage capacity. [\\[7\\]](#cite-id-tNLdqa2yhnhIXXIW)","summary":"Hippius is a decentralized storage network on Bittensor (SN75) providing an S3-compatible alternative to centralized cloud storage. 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