244: From Harvard to Hardware: Hoansoo from Exabits on Web3 Compute and Scaling with GPUs

In this episode of Web3 with Sam Kamani, Sam is joined by co-host Amanda Whitcroft to interview Hoansoo Lee, co-founder of Exabits.ai. With a PhD from Harvard and deep expertise in edge computing, Hoansoo shares how Exabits is decentralizing the GPU cloud for AI by combining high-performance chips like the H100 and Blackwell with tokenized infrastructure on Web3 rails. They explore why AI compute is the "new energy," how Exabits differentiates from competitors like CoreWeave, and the opportunities for DeFi and structured finance in this emerging landscape. Hoansoo also discusses the limitations of decentralized compute, the challenges around AI experimentation, and how data, compute, and causality intersect in building next-gen AI. Whether you're a founder building in AI, a researcher, or a curious investor, this episode is packed with deep insights into the future of decentralized compute and what’s next in the AI x Web3 convergence. Key Timestamps [00:00:00] Introduction: Sam introduces co-host Amanda and guest Hoansoo Lee from Exabits.ai. [00:01:00] What is Exabits?: Hoansoo explains Exabits in one sentence—high-quality GPU compute for AI. [00:02:00] Who Uses It: Discussing their customer base across Web2 and Web3.[00:03:00] Hardware Stack: Exabits runs 60,000+ GPUs including H100s and Blackwells.[00:04:00] Competitive Landscape: Why Exabits is different from other Web3 dePIN projects. [00:05:00] Founding Story: How a background in edge computing led to building Exabits. [00:06:00] Go-to-Market: Customer acquisition through partnerships, referrals, and conferences. [00:07:00] Growth Opportunity: Why structured finance and GPU financialization is the next big thing. [00:08:00] AI Efficiency vs. Demand: DeepSeek, scaling laws, and the compute boom. [00:10:00] Energy + Compute: AI’s demand for energy and its parallels to historical tech trends. [00:11:00] Decentralized Compute: Limitations of latency-sensitive decentralized AI infrastructure. [00:13:00] AI = Bitcoin Mining 2.0: The evolution from minting Bitcoin to minting intelligence. [00:14:00] Pillars of AI: From compute/data/models to experimentation and causal inference. [00:17:00] AI Limits: Why synthetic data can't replace real-world experimentation. [00:18:00] Scarcity & Innovation: How chip scarcity could spark further innovation. [00:20:00] In-House Servers: Why building H200 racks in-house is a differentiator. [00:21:00] How It Works: A user’s experience on Exabits from login to compute access. [00:23:00] Founder Advice: Hoansoo’s take on building something with real customers and solid fundamentals [00:24:00] Roadmap: Data center expansion, orchestration features, and governance via staking. [00:25:00] TGE Ahead: Exabits’ upcoming token generation event and next steps. Connect https://www.exabits.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/exabitsai/ https://x.com/exa_bits https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoansoo-lee-21586b9/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-whitcroft-324879164/ Disclaimer Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend. Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/