Yuma and the University of Connecticut Launch ‘BittBridge,’ a First-of-its-kind Decentralized AI Partnership Shaping the Future of Education and Global Markets

Yuma, a DCG company and leading builder on the decentralized artificial intelligence (deAI) network Bittensor, and the University of Connecticut (UConn), a prestigious research institution known for its leadership in business, data science, and emerging technologies, today announced the launch of a groundbreaking experiential learning program focused on deAI. “BittBridge” will give a student-led team the opportunity to work toward operating and developing a project on Bittensor called a subnet, making UConn among the first academic institutions to build on the network.

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BittBridge will provide UConn School of Business students the opportunity to work at the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), removing the barriers that often prevent young developers from building AI models. Yuma will guide the team in developing a subnet, a component of Bittensor’s AI infrastructure, using a financial modeling framework as a starting point. In the Bittensor ecosystem, most subnets are designed around specific AI tasks or services, serving as a proving ground for innovation. Through practical experience in blockchain infrastructure, applied AI modeling, and decentralized system design, students are empowered to engage with the technologies reshaping global industries.

"The launch of BittBridge underscores UConn’s role as an academic pioneer, providing students with cutting-edge experiences in decentralized AI and blockchain technology,” said Professor Greg Reilly, interim dean of the University of Connecticut School of Business. "In a rapidly evolving technological field, the best way to prepare our students is to immerse them in real-world innovation."

Bittensor, a decentralized network that rewards contributors for building and serving useful AI, makes AI model development more accessible by removing prohibitive compute and capital barriers. It allows anyone to build, serve, or access models through open-source subnets that compete and coordinate in real time instead of relying on centralized infrastructure or corporate-owned AI resources, which are often too expensive for students and academic researchers.

"The transformative power of AI shouldn’t be limited to a few tech giants or well-funded companies with massive compute access," said Barry Silbert, Founder and CEO of Yuma and Founder and CEO of DCG. "Our partnership with UConn represents a significant step in building pathways so the next wave of talent – including students and builders across disciplines – can enter deAI and help shape the outcomes of this extraordinary technology.”

Yuma will provide onboarding, technical mentorship and operational support to upskill the BittBridge team. Students with diverse focus areas, including fintech and sports analytics, will gain hands-on experience navigating Bittensor’s technical architecture with the tools and guidance to move toward launching a subnet. While the project will evolve based on student’s interests and expertise, the goal is to spark a self-sustaining educational program built on Bittensor. Yuma is a core contributor to the Bittensor ecosystem, providing funding, infrastructure and technical expertise to help launch and scale subnets across a wide range of AI domains. By offering early support to promising teams, Yuma helps to accelerate and advance decentralized intelligence. The first cohort of five students will begin onboarding in the spring of 2025. Over the summer, participants will receive Yuma-provided intensive technical training with the goal of scaling involvement into fall 2025.

The initiative reflects the role decentralized AI can play in shaping the future of education, innovation, and public infrastructure. BittBridge will serve as a model for how universities can actively engage in open-source technology development while preparing students for emerging roles in AI.

Those interested in building with Yuma can visit YumaAI.com or follow @YumaGroup on X for more information.

About Yuma

Yuma is a subsidiary of DCG focused on accelerating decentralized AI through the Bittensor network. Its mission is to create positive economic and societal change by connecting transformative ideas to decentralized intelligence. Yuma supports early-stage teams building on Bittensor, a decentralized network that rewards AI models for useful output, creating an open marketplace for machine intelligence. It provides capital, technical support, community access and long-term collaboration to help launch and grow subnets. Through its accelerator, incubator, validator, and mining roles, Yuma helps shape a more open and accessible future for AI. Learn more at https://yumaai.com/.

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