OpenGradient launches OPG token

OpenGradient has launched OPG, a token it says will pay for and govern verified artificial intelligence jobs on its network. (opengradient.foundation) The company’s token page says OPG has a fixed supply of 1 billion tokens, with release scheduled for April 21, 2026. Its published allocation lists 40% for the ecosystem, 15% for the foundation, 15% for core contributors, 10% for investors and advisers, 10% for staking rewards, 6% for liquidity and launch, and 4% for an airdrop. (portal.opengradient.ai) OpenGradient says every verified model call on the network will be paid in OPG, while model builders can earn tokens when developers or agents use their models. The foundation also says token holders will be able to stake with validators and vote on items including hardware support, gas pricing, treasury use, and protocol upgrades. (opengradient.foundation) The underlying pitch is simple: run an artificial intelligence model on a separate compute network, then attach proof that the job was executed as claimed. OpenGradient says its system uses graphics processing unit nodes and Trusted Execution Environment hardware so outside applications can verify what model ran, what input it used, and what output it returned. (prnewswire.com) That approach targets a problem OpenGradient described in a funding announcement on April 14, 2026: developers either trust opaque cloud application programming interfaces or build their own verification systems. The company said that tradeoff becomes more important as artificial intelligence systems move into trading, asset management, and other automated decisions. (prnewswire.com) OpenGradient says the token is tied to products that are already live, not just a future roadmap. Its foundation says OPG will unlock premium features in BitQuant, which it says has more than 1.8 million users, MemSync, which it says has 39,000 active users, and Twin.fun. (opengradient.foundation) The company is also telling developers to use OPG inside its software tools now. OpenGradient’s documentation says developers must approve enough OPG before making large language model requests through its software development kit, and says inference payments use the x402 payment standard on Base Sepolia in testnet mode. (docs.opengradient.ai 1) (docs.opengradient.ai 2) OpenGradient paired the token push with a funding announcement on April 14, 2026, saying it has raised $9.5 million from backers including Andreessen Horowitz crypto, Coinbase Ventures, and SV Angel. In the same release, it said the network has processed more than 2 million inferences and hosts more than 2,000 models. (prnewswire.com) (opengradient.foundation) The launch puts a price tag and a voting system on OpenGradient’s claim that artificial intelligence inference can be checked like an on-chain transaction. The next test is whether developers and users actually pay in OPG once the scheduled April 21 release arrives. (portal.opengradient.ai)