# NEAR Protocol > The Blockchain for AI NEAR Protocol is a sharded proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain. It supports consumer apps, AI agents, and multichain activity through products such as NEAR Intents and NEAR AI. NEAR Protocol is a sharded proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain. It is built for consumer applications, AI agents, and multichain interactions, with fast finality and low fees. Accounts use human-readable names, and meta-transactions let applications cover gas fees for their users. The network adds or removes shards as demand changes, so capacity grows with usage. Validators secure the network through staking, and smart contracts run in a runtime that supports familiar programming languages. Its products include NEAR Intents, a cross-chain swap protocol, and NEAR AI, which provides private inference and agent infrastructure. NEAR Protocol is used by developers, consumers, AI agents, and traders. - Type: Network - Sector: Blockchain Platforms - Status: Active - Founded: 2018-08-01 - Profile: https://thegrid.id/profiles/near_protocol ## Products - [NEAR Blockchain](https://thegrid.id/profiles/near_protocol): NEAR Blockchain is a sharded proof-of-stake Layer 1 network that processes transactions in parallel across shards. It adds or removes shards as demand changes, with fast block times and quick finality. Developers write smart contracts in familiar programming languages, and accounts use human-readable names. (L1, Live, Main Product) - [NEAR AI](https://thegrid.id/profiles/near_protocol): NEAR AI provides infrastructure for running private, verifiable AI models and autonomous agents. Inference requests run inside hardware-secured trusted execution environments, so data and models stay encrypted, and each request can be verified with hardware-backed proof. Developers deploy models through an API or use a private chat app. (Developer Tooling, Live) ## Assets - [NEAR (NEAR)](https://thegrid.id/profiles/near_protocol): NEAR is the native token of NEAR Protocol. It is used to pay for transaction fees, stake to secure the network through proof-of-stake validation, and participate in on-chain governance. The protocol burns 70% of transaction fees while rebating 30% to smart contracts that interact with transactions, creating deflationary pressure as network usage increases. (Native) ## Links - [Main](https://www.near.org) - [Documentation](https://docs.near.org) - [Forum](https://gov.near.org) - [Twitter / X](https://x.com/NEARProtocol) - [Instagram](https://instagram.com/near_protocol) - [Discord](https://discord.gg/near.chat) - [GitHub](https://github.com/near) - [Telegram](https://t.me/nearprotocolnews) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@NEARProtocol) - [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/nearprotocol) ## Relationships - [NEAR Intents](https://thegrid.id/profiles/near_intents): Subsidiary ## Legal This data is provided under two licensing models. Model 1 - open data. The open data core is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL) — a copyleft/share-alike license allowing free use, modification, and sharing for any purpose. Attribution is required: include "Powered by The Grid" linking to https://thegrid.id wherever the data is used. Derivative databases must be shared under ODbL terms. 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