# Public Testnet Launch! $49 Million in Funding for Sahara, with New Partner YZi Labs

**Published by:** [SOL](https://paragraph.com/@web3-sol/)
**Published on:** 2025-05-20
**Categories:** yzi labs, sahara
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@web3-sol/public-testnet-launch-dollar49-million-in-funding-for-sahara-with-new-partner-yzi-labs

## Content

On May 19th, Sahara announced that the SIWA public testnet is now live! This marks the first step towards an open and accessible AI-driven future for everyone. On the same day, Sahara announced a partnership with Phala to jointly empower the next frontier of on-chain AI data ownership! About Sahara Sahara AI is a decentralized AI blockchain platform that is trustless, permissionless, and privacy-centric. It aims to make AI technology more accessible to individuals and businesses by leveraging decentralized blockchain methods to achieve artificial intelligence. Through blockchain, Sahara ensures that all contributors (data contributors, labelers, model developers, etc.) are fairly incentivized. The platform not only lowers the barriers to entry for AI technology but also builds a democratized and fair AI collaboration ecosystem. Whether you are professional developers, entrepreneurs, or simply AI enthusiasts, you can easily build or deploy personalized AI products on the Sahara AI platform. Contributors can earn recognition and rewards by contributing data, developing models, or deploying AI applications. Sahara Ecosystem ComponentsSahara Blockchain: A blockchain designed specifically for artificial intelligence, integrating AI technology with the Web3 ecosystem. It provides computational power, datasets, and solutions for AI research, development, and application deployment for AI researchers, developers, and Web3 projects.AI Infrastructure: Offers a comprehensive suite of real-world AI tools, supported by a robust infrastructure that prioritizes usability and user experience, delivering immediate practical value.Sahara AI Marketplace: Launched in Q1 of this year, it provides development tools and data services with extended functionalities, supporting model development, training, and deployment. It also introduces an early access program.Development Tools: Provide tools and data services with extended functionalities, supporting model development, training, and deployment, and introducing early access programs, among others.Secure Storage: Implements strong security measures to ensure the safety of AI assets and user data.Sahara Team The core team of Sahara AI consists of seasoned experts from the AI and Web3 industries, led by Sean Ren, a tenured professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Southern California. The team members come from various fields, including artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and distributed systems:Sean Ren: Co-founder and CEO, with 15 years of industry research experience in AI. He graduated from the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), specializing in the then-popular field of Natural Language Processing (NLP). After graduation, he joined the University of Southern California as a faculty member and previously worked at BN, making significant contributions to the development of the AI field.Tyler Zhou: Co-founder and COO, previously a director at BN. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and has a deep understanding and insight into the blockchain ecosystem and Web3.Sahara Funding Founded in 2023, Sahara has undergone several significant fundraising rounds, receiving support from YZi Labs, Polychain, Samsung, and others. Summary of Sahara Sahara is not only supported by BN but also trusted by over 35 companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, MIT, Motherson Group, and Snap. With its unique AI philosophy, collaborative ecosystem, and solid team, Sahara has demonstrated its potential and value in the AI field. With the launch of the Sahara public testnet, it is poised to advance further on the path of AI democratization, becoming an important force in promoting the popularization and application of AI technology.

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