Paris, January 20, 2025 – Mintera, a specialist in the design and operation of micro data centers connected to DePINs (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) protocols, is proud to announce the signing of a strategic investment with W3i.fund, a Luxembourg-based venture capital fund specializing in blockchain infrastructure.

This strategic investment aims to accelerate the development of decentralized cloud solutions by combining the expertise of both companies.

Mintera and W3i will develop and operate a network of micro data centers in France, connected to major international protocols such as Filecoin, Sia, Storj, Aioz…

More specifically, Mintera identifies and selects decentralized networks with the best opportunities and develops tools and algorithms to automate resource management (storage, computing, bandwidth), minimizing operational costs and maximizing returns on DePINs protocols.

In 2025, Mintera will scale its model by creating and operating several dozen micro data centers in France, representing a storage capacity exceeding 100 petabytes.

Additionally, the launch of its token (MNTE) will allow holders to access a share of the revenues generated by these microdata centers and new decentralized cloud services via its DApp.

A Shared Vision for the Future of Cloud Storage

DePIN, or Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network, is a network where physical infrastructures, such as servers or data centers, are operated and managed in a decentralized manner by multiple independent actors. This decentralization is based on blockchain technology, ensuring transparent, secure, and intermediary-free coordination among participants.

The collaboration between Mintera and W3i directly addresses the challenges of the current centralized cloud model:

1. High Costs: Major players like AWS and Google Cloud rely on massive centralized data centers, which are expensive to build and maintain. These costs, passed on to clients, drive up prices, even for basic services like data retrieval. With blockchain-based decentralized infrastructure, data is distributed across micro data centers operated by various providers, often in low-cost operational areas, significantly reducing user costs.

2. Limited Security: In a centralized model, all data is concentrated in a few physical locations, making it vulnerable to cyberattacks or outages. For instance, an attack on a single data center can compromise millions of user accounts. By decentralizing storage via blockchain, data is fragmented and distributed across multiple independent nodes, making attacks or failures far less impactful.

3. Lack of Sovereignty: Centralized data centers, especially in the U.S., are subject to regulations like the Patriot Act, which require operators to keep backdoors open, allowing authorities to access data without user consent. In Europe, strict rules like GDPR mandate that data remains on European soil to prevent such practices. Decentralized solutions go even further: thanks to blockchain, data is accessible only by the user, with no possible backdoors, guaranteeing total sovereignty and absolute confidentiality.

With this ambitious project, Mintera and W3i aim to benefit from the growing decentralized cloud market and continue to be committed leaders in this space.

[Gonzague de la Tournelle, GP and Co-Founder of W3i], states:

“We are thrilled to support Mintera in operating a new optimized micro data center. The decentralization of cloud infrastructure represents a historic opportunity. W3i aims to be a committed player, and Mintera is perfectly positioned to play a central role in this revolution. Our growth fund, W3index, has been investing since 2023 in leading DePIN companies like Filecoin, and we are multiplying our positions as network operators to confront their economic realities daily.”


A Strategic Collaboration to Support the Decentralized Cloud Revolution and Address Growing Demand

Through this collaboration, Mintera and W3i are positioned to scale their model, offering decentralized storage solutions tailored to enterprise needs using DePINs protocols.

These optimized data centers will be designed to align perfectly with DePINs protocols, delivering high-performance returns while enabling end-users to achieve greater sovereignty and significantly reduce storage costs.

[Julien Marcadé, CEO of Mintera], adds:

“This micro data center approach is now possible thanks to DePINs, which enable global market access for data hosting with operational flexibility and without the massive investments required by hyperscalers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft). At Mintera, we firmly believe that the future of cloud services lies in decentralized solutions. This partnership with W3i represents a major step toward realizing our vision: offering reliable, sustainable, and cost-competitive data storage solutions to our clients worldwide.”

Contacts:

Gonzague de la Tournelle, GP & Co-Founder of W3i
[email protected]

Julien Marcadé, CEO & Co-Founder of Mintera
[email protected]