World’s First City-Wide AI, XR, and DePIN Ecosystem Launches in Osaka

Key Takeaways

• Digital Entertainment City Namba is an extended reality (XR) project in Osaka that integrates AI guides across the city.
• The new initiative runs on the Mawari DePIN.
• DePINs that were initially focused on graphics rendering are increasingly being applied to AI processing.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) both hold huge potential to transform sectors like retail, entertainment and tourism.

They also both require similar hardware to implement.

Digital Entertainment City Namba, a new collaboration between Mawari, Meta Osaka, Nankai Electric Railway and the Namba e-stadium, demonstrates how decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs) can serve the computational needs of both technologies simultaneously.

Digital Entertainment City Namba

Osaka has a rich cultural and technological history. For example, over 140 years ago, the Nankai Railway was opened as Japan’s first privately operated train line.

Today, the Nankai Electric Railway is continuing that history of innovation with a new extended reality (XR) project that integrates AI and the Mawari DePIN.

Powered by the decentralized GPU network, Digital Entertainment City Namba integrates virtual AI guides in immersive XR experiences across Osaka.

“These AI-driven characters can handle tasks ranging from tourist guidance to customer service, creating intuitive, human-like interactions that transcend language barriers,” Mawari explained in a press release.

DePINs for XR

Pulling off the most ambitious XR projects across extended arenas has traditionally been difficult due to the high computational burden of rendering graphics.

Integrating AI further complicates the logistical challenge of implementation.

DePINs have emerged as a possible solution to this challenge, with platforms like Mawari and Funta promising to reduce latency and minimize bandwidth with decentralized networks of GPUs.

The platform is especially useful for Digital Entertainment City Namba, which also integrates AI. Like graphical rendering, AI requires powerful GPUs, limiting what can be performed on ordinary hardware.

The AI Pivot

One of the most successful GPU DePINs to date is Render Network, which started with a focus on graphics but is increasingly tapping into demand for AI processing.

As demonstrated by the latest project in Osaka, Mawari is also starting to leverage its GPUs for AI.

Considering GPUs’ dual functionality, the transition from graphical rendering to AI is a natural pivot.

Meanwhile, projects like Digital Entertainment City Namba reflect the growing intersection of both technologies, where decentralized GPU networks could play an important role as things evolve.

DePINs in Japanese Law

Under Japanese crypto legislation, DePIN tokens like RNDR and MWR are classified as utility tokens and, therefore, aren’t subject to Japanese securities laws.

In theory, some DePINs could fall under The Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (UPMR Act) and The Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, which regulate incentives to buy goods or services.

However, GPU network operators are independent of GPU manufacturers and don’t set strict hardware requirements.

For example, any GPU that meets the necessary memory and performance requirements could become a Mawari or Render node. Therefore, premiums and incentives regulations don’t apply.