Akash’s AKT launches on Solana as two-year migration opens

Akash’s migration portal opened on November 12 and will remain available for two years. Transfers are one-way: the portal locks AKT on the original blockchain and mints an equivalent amount on Solana at a 1:1 ratio. According to the portal, a transfer typically takes two to three minutes and carries an Akash network fee of 0.0125 AKT; a relayer covers Solana transaction costs. AKT is also accessible through Phantom, Kamino, Meteora and Titan Exchange.

Holders with tokens in self-custody can connect a wallet and choose a Solana receiving address. Exchanges will manage transfers for tokens held on their platforms according to their own schedules, while balances in Akash Console are due to migrate automatically. Akash says holders do not need to move tokens immediately, particularly if they are earning staking rewards. Staked AKT remains on the existing network for now; withdrawals require a 21-day unbonding period. Tokens moved to Solana cannot be returned through the portal or staked there until a new staking system is available.

The launch follows approval of Governance Proposal 346 on November 2, which received approximately 97% support. Akash plans to move its blockchain infrastructure to Solana over about 24 months. The plan includes Akash Marketplace, the AkashML inference platform and the Homenode computing initiative, but the marketplace’s cutover date requires a separate governance vote. Existing workloads are expected to continue on Cosmos for 90 days after that cutover, before the original chain is scheduled to halt.

Akash provides a decentralized cloud computing marketplace where developers and AI companies rent GPU resources from independent providers. Solana said the network has processed approximately 644,000 compute leases during six years of operation. Akash founder Greg Osuri said the project chose Solana after assessing transaction capacity, costs, liquidity and developer infrastructure. The project cited the expense of maintaining a separate Cosmos chain, secured by approximately 100 validators, and estimated marketplace fees on Solana at about 0.075 SOL per day.