Render Network Foundation Monthly Report — July 2025
Overview of Render Network ecosystem activity in July 2025, including key metrics, governance updates, events, ecosystem partner updates, and more.
Ecosystem metrics
The Render Network Foundation tracks various metrics on its network. Below is the aggregate view of the month’s activity, previous month’s activity, and month-over-month change for a few key metrics. Much of this information is found at stats.renderfoundation.com.
Glossary
Frames rendered — number of frames rendered by the network.
Burns — the USDC equivalent of RENDER tokens burned on the network. Additional burn and mint data and details of the burn and mint equilibrium model (BME).
Emissions — RENDER tokens minted for the month per the emissions schedule for BME.
Rewards to Foundation rendering node (RENDER) — RENDER token rewards issued (both for rendering jobs and availability) to the rendering node operated on behalf of the Foundation. The Foundation’s rendering node Solana wallet address is: AAHwFzKj8U1E7JyNBz2v561eXCz41Uv123xzjAYo3GdT
Foundation rendering node cost to operate (USD) — Cost, in USD, of running the Foundation rendering node in its geographic location. The price of running a node on the Render Network varies depending on geography, local energy market, local utility service and other factors.
Foundation rendering node kilo-watt hours (kWh) — Amount of energy consumed by the Foundation rendering node during the reported period.
Rewards for jobs — rewards sent, in RENDER tokens, to render node operators on the network whose machines were used to complete rendering jobs. Rewards are issued by epoch, which occur weekly.
Rewards for availability — rewards sent, in RENDER tokens, to render node operators who made their machines available to the network. Rewards are issued by epoch, which occur weekly.
Total rewards to nodes — the sum of rewards sent to render node operators for rendering and availability.
Governance updates
RNP-019 — Render Compute Network launching trial with US customers
The new Render Compute Network, specifically optimized for AI workloads including inferencing, offline and edge machine learning, has begun onboarding US-based node operators to support our testing phase involving US-based customers.
Node operators began to onboard in July, registering for and connecting to the network.
A few highlights:
We’ve seen more NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090s than any other type of machine onboarded onto the Render Compute Network. This is driven by several factors: benchmark test results, speed test results, and geographic location from the waitlist submissions. The green bar graph indicates nodes are online while the blue marking indicates nodes running a job.
Caption: Initial look at the GPUs models of the first batch of Render Compute Network onboarded nodes
As more nodes come online, we’re able to track node sessions, which gives us a view of nodes up and running on the network. Below is a snapshot of a 7 day period in late July:
Caption: 7 day view of node sessions active on the Render Compute Network
Rewards for availability and jobs completed will be issued in RENDER to node operators. Node operators will receive availability rewards for making their GPUs available to the network, starting from when they first connected and were available on the network.
In case you missed it: BME, Foundation emissions, and growth initiatives
In last month’s report, we provided an overview of how the burn-mint-equilibrium (BME) model for RENDER emissions works, approved via vote by tokenholders in 2022 and implemented in 2023.
Two questions that come up from time to time:
“What is the foundation doing with the emissions issued for foundation operations?”
And
“Why are emissions much larger in the beginning years?”
Both are addressed in the section titled Emissions overview, 2025 mid-year check-in of the June report linked above. The section covers:
- An overview of how the BME model works (with more details at stats.renderfoundation.com)
- The types of growth initiatives we’re focusing on, including a new compute network
- Why the foundation has been conservative about spending “front-loaded” emissions
We’ll continue to share details as growth programs are developed and launched.
With AI application development continuing to accelerate, the demand for compute capacity is poised to grow for years to come. By investing in decentralized infrastructure now, the Render Network will be positioned to compete for that demand.
First half 2025 emissions and expenditures across network operations and foundation operations
To supplement the growth initiatives overview provided in last month’s report, below is a mid-year overview of emissions, outflows, and network usage from January 1st to June 30th, 2025.
Within network operations (denominated in RENDER), each category is explained below:
Emissions
1,342,179
Emissions allocated to support network operations, per RNP-018.
Grants
-240,907
Grants to artists for ongoing and future projects.
Node Rewards
-462,115
Rewards issued to node operators for making their nodes available on the network as well as for completing rendering jobs. Note: small variance vs. onchain figures are common due to accruals vs. cash method of financial reporting. Difference is accounted for in the following month.
Net (Emissions — Total Outflows)
639,157
After outflows are subtracted from emissions, the remaining surplus represents what’s available for reinvestment in future rewards and RNP initiatives. This RENDER amount does not go into circulation until it is used.
On the Foundation operations side, emissions and provision of services are highlighted for the same time period, January 1st, through June 30th, 2025, also denominated in RENDER:
Emissions
1,342,179
Emissions that are allocated to support foundation operations, per the BME model.
Provision of Services
-834,310
Services provided by the foundation include software development for building and maintaining the blockchain protocol, marketing/growth initiatives, communications, business development, managing grants, risk and compliance, staff salaries, company software, interest expenses, and other operations.
Net (Emissions — Provision of Services)
507,869
Emissions minus expenditures equals 507,869 RENDER. This net positive amount represents available resources for future reinvestment. Similar to network net emissions available after expenditures are accounted for, these are not released into active circulation until used. As the network grows, including via long-term, flagship initiatives such as the Render Compute Network, these will be the primary resources for future development, ongoing awareness, and business development efforts.
Taking a look at network usage for the same period:
Network usage
260,875
This is the amount of RENDER that was used to render jobs on the network. Think of this as a proxy for revenue generated from artists/creators using the Render Network to render their 3D work, reflected in RENDER.
Burns (minus 5% fee)
-247,831
The amount of RENDER burned. The difference between this figure and network usage (which you can think of as revenue) is the 5% vendor fee the foundation pays to its service provider, OTOY.
Network operating expense (5% fee)
-13,044
Fee paid to service provider, OTOY, for provision of services that make the Render Network accessible to end users.
Net (Usage — Burns — Network Operating Expense)
0
This number balances out as network usage equals burns minus the service fee paid to OTOY services related to network operations.
Product updates
Did you know that at stats.renderfoundation.com, you can view data such as total amount of frames rendered, the latest burn per epoch (i.e. the weekly periods in which rewards are issued to node operators), and more?
A recent update to the page shows you a close-up view of rewards per transaction, per epoch, per wallet. Anyone can see how node rewards were issued across wallets per epoch. This might be useful if you’re a node operator and you want to see the visual representation of rewards issued to your wallet within an epoch.
Ecosystem Partners
We’ve revamped the way we present information in this report. The Artist spotlight section, for example, will now be featured under updates from our ecosystem partner, OTOY. Updates from other ecosystem partners will also be included accordingly going forward.
Speaking of: who is OTOY and how are they related to the Render Network? Read on.
How the Render Network Foundation and OTOY, its largest ecosystem partner, work together
The Render Network Foundation and OTOY are distinct entities that work in close collaboration — but they are not the same organization.
OTOY is led by CEO Jules Urbach, who founded the Render Network in 2017. OTOY remains the largest user of rendering compute on the Render Network. In addition to powering rendering compute, the Render Network is starting to develop capabilities to capture general and AI compute demand as customers start using the recently announced Render Compute Network.
The Render Network Foundation was founded in 2023. As an independent, nonprofit organization, the Foundation is tasked with managing the network’s long-term vision, decentralized governance, ecosystem development, and community growth. This includes efforts behind growing rendering compute usage as well as the usage of the new Render Compute Network for AI demand.
Today, the Foundation oversees key elements of the network’s evolution: implementing governance proposals (RNPs), managing the burn-and-mint equilibrium system, funding and allocating grants and rendering credits, onboarding node operators, and growing ecosystem partnerships. It is also leading development of the new Render Compute Network — a decentralized infrastructure for general-purpose and AI compute.
OTOY operates the Render Portal at rendernetwork.com, which gives artists and developers access to the tools they need to run jobs across both the rendering and compute networks. OTOY continues to be a critical technical service provider in this work. Just as it has developed the core infrastructure and user-facing tools for 3D rendering since the network’s inception, OTOY is also the technical developer of the infrastructure and user touchpoints for the Render Compute Network.
OTOY’s customers — including artists, studios, and large enterprise organizations — are able to access their OTOY accounts through render.x.io, or via API, to access OTOY products and services, including OctaneRender. Many of these users ultimately choose to render their work with the Render Network, through tools and services OTOY provides.
In short: the Foundation and OTOY share a long-term commitment to the Render Network’s success, but they serve different roles. The Foundation governs the network’s growth and direction; OTOY builds and operates a variety of for-profit products and services, through which users may opt to access the Render Network for computing needs.
OTOY product updates
Render Network API
The Render Network API gives developers and studios full access to the power of decentralized GPU rendering, with the control and flexibility to build custom pipelines, automate workflows, and scale rendering to fit any production need.
With the API, users can:
- Access massively scalable rendering power via a secured decentralized GPU nodes network
- Render in a customizable way
- Save on rendering costs vs. centralized rendering farms
- Integrate and automate the rendering step directly in production pipelines
- Automate scene submissions and render jobs workflows
- Get advanced control over outputs verification and job management
Interested? Check out the knowledge base guide for more details, including how to request access to start integrating the API into production environments.
Artist spotlight: Featuring artists who use the Render Network through OTOY-managed products like the Render Portal
Laith Alfahad, a VFX artist and director based in Baghdad, is known for blending cinematic storytelling with emotionally immersive design. From luxury product visuals to historical recreations, Laith’s work stands at the intersection of art and technology.
In the latest Artist Spotlight interview, he shares how he built a career in 3D and VFX and why the Render Network has become a core part of his workflow.
Laith said, “Render Network feels more organic and artist friendly. It gives me the speed and power I need while remaining cost effective.”
Ecosystem/Community
In the News
Render Network at Christie’s Tech + Art Summit 2025
The Render Network and OTOY co-sponsored an appearance at Christie’s 10th Art + Tech Summit in New York City on July 15–17, 2025. The two‑day event was held at the iconic Radio City Music Hall. Founders, creators, investors, collectors, and tech as well as art leaders shared insights on the intersection of art and technology. Attendees and sponsors included heavyweights like Apple and a16z.
Spotted at the event were:
Richard Kerris, VP/GM of media and entertainment at NVIDIA, who was a featured speaker at RenderCon. He shared his latest insights on “The Machine Mind” panel with Ali Farhadi, the CEO of the Allen Institute for AI:
Octane and Render Network power user and legend @refikanadol, alongside @DarrenAronofsky, and Global Head of Ventures at Christie’s Devang Thakkar, who were on the “Exploring Frontiers” panel:
The frontier of art and tech will bring together digital art, 3D rendering, and AI in ways both expected and unexpected. We’re proud to have joined forward-thinking organizations sharing ideas about how to meet future demand.
Announcements
Render Network Foundation launches a bounties program
The Render Network Bounty Platform is a new initiative intended to get community involvement for the development of educational content, how-to guides, and more.
Through the platform, we invite skilled community members to help tell the story of our decentralized GPU ecosystem and get rewarded in RENDER tokens.
The program works like this:
- Pick an open task on our bounty board
- Apply to contribute
- The best application is selected for submission
- Deliver your contribution
- Earn the bounty reward in RENDER
Current open bounties include a technical guide of how the Render Network uses Solana; a video that compares the Render Network vs. traditional Redshift fender farms; and creating a dynamic NFT that automatically re-renders art on the network.
Explore the bounties board and get started: https://bounties.rendernetwork.com/
Render Royale: the Premier Monthly 3D Contest — July recap
From architectural dreamscapes to synthwave diners and intergalactic gatekeepers, July’s Render Royale entries transported viewers beyond the ordinary. Artists from across the globe pushed the boundaries of 3D storytelling, powered by the decentralized strength of the Render Network.
July’s theme was Retro Sci-Fi. The results were anything but predictable. Here’s a spotlight on the winning entries that captured hearts, challenged norms, and rendered alternate realities into life:
Watch the full selection of winning entries here:
What’s coming up
Render Royale: The Premier Monthly 3D Contest, August 2025 Edition
Entering its fourth month, Render Royale, the contest for artists/creators to submit their best 3D graphics work using Redshift, OctaneRender, or Blender Cycles on the Render Network. Each month features a different theme and a new chance to win. August’s theme is Post-Apocalyptic Visions.
One winner per rendering engine will be selected each month. Winners take home a share of 5,250 USDC in prizes and get their work featured as part of a global showcase of great work.
Submissions for this month are open until August 25th.
Criteria: must be rendered on the Render Network with Cycles, Octane Render, or Redshift.
Full details: renderfoundation.com/royale
Catch us at upcoming events
Render Network founder and CEO of the network’s primary collaborator, OTOY, Jules Urbach, will be speaking on the Future of Rendering at SIGGRAPH 2025, the premier annual conference & exhibition on computer graphics & interactive techniques. The conference runs August 10–14 in Vancouver, Canada. Jules speaks on August 12th, at the NVIDIA RTX Rendering Day industry session. View the schedule.
The Render Network Foundation is sponsoring three Motion Plus Design events this year. The curated motion design festival happens next on September 27th in Seoul. While we will not be attending the Seoul event in person, we will be sharing an overview from afar with the 2,700+ expected attendees.
