Inference powers every AI answer, agent, and application. Boundless AI delivers that inference through leading open-weight models, available through the Boundless AI platform, API, and integrations including Vercel’s AI Gateway.
Until now, access to that intelligence has been something you rent by the token, paid for one request at a time. Today, through its partnership with Boundless AI, the Boundless Foundation is introducing a different model: tokenized AI inference, where access to frontier AI comes from a token you hold. Stake ZKC and you receive recurring credits for frontier AI models, with fresh allocations every two days, while your ZKC stays staked.
ZKC is the AI Access Coin, tokenizing access to leading open models.
Where to get ZKC: Binance · Coinbase · Upbit · Bybit
View the ZKC contract on Etherscan
| Before | After changes | |
| ZKC utility | Tied to the ZK proving protocol | Access to frontier open-weight models on Boundless AI |
| ZKC supply | Grows with new staking and proving rewards | Fixed |
How tokenized AI inference works
The program runs on the existing ZKC staking contract, so there's no token migration and nothing new to stake into.
- Link your staking wallet. Connect it to your Boundless AI account by signing a message, which proves ownership without moving your ZKC.
- Receive AI credits. Every two days, a shared pool of approximately $1,000 in AI credits will be distributed based on your share of total staked ZKC.
- Use them on available models. Spend credits on any supported model on Boundless AI, through the platform or the API, and your staked ZKC is never spent.
The math is simple: if your stake represents 1% of total staked ZKC, you receive 1% of the AI credit pool. Your share changes as total stake changes, and the Foundation may adjust the pool based on capacity and program costs.
Credits refresh every two days rather than piling up, so unused credits expire at the next allocation. That makes them a natural fit for work that runs all the time, like an agent, a nightly batch job or the assistant you open every morning. Credits are nontransferable and have no cash value.
ZKC moves to a fixed supply
Once this transition is complete, no new ZKC will be minted, and ZKC’s supply will be fixed at the final minted amount. Until now, ZKC rewards came from newly minted tokens, so supply grew with every reward epoch. From here, staking gives you AI credits instead of new tokens.
Proving rewards end first, and staking rewards continue through one final reward epoch. Once that epoch is settled, staking reward minting ends and the final minted amount becomes ZKC’s supply cap. We’ll publish the exact figure once we’ve verified onchain that no new ZKC can be minted.
AI credits are scheduled to begin the day after staking rewards end, so staking keeps working without adding a single new token to supply.
Key dates
As ZKC’s role shifts to AI access, Boundless ZK proving operations will pause indefinitely.
- November 5, 2026: New proof requests and proving reward claims end. Provers must claim outstanding eligible rewards before this date.
- November 30, 2026: The Explorer UI goes offline. Staking stays accessible through a standalone interface, and we’ll share instructions beforehand.
- January 1, 2027: The final staking reward period ends. Once rewards are settled, no new ZKC will be minted and the total supply will be fixed.
- January 2, 2027: Tokenized inference launches. Stake ZKC to access leading open-weight AI models.
FAQ
How many credits will I receive?
Your share of total staked ZKC determines your share of the credit pool. At the initial pool size, a 10% share would receive approximately $100 in credits every two days.
Do I need to move or restake my ZKC?
No. The program uses the existing staking contract and the 30-day withdrawal period is unchanged. After the Explorer UI goes offline on November 30, you'll manage your stake through a standalone interface.
What happens to ZK proving?
Proving operations pause indefinitely from November 5, 2026, and the protocol's source code stays publicly available.
What comes next
Before launch, we'll publish the eligibility requirements, wallet-linking instructions, supported models and the exact allocation schedule, and we'll confirm the final supply cap once it's verified onchain.
Boundless AI's growth gives ZKC a new role as a token you hold that grants you access to leading open models, with a supply that stops growing. Tokenized AI inference is scheduled to begin on January 2, 2027.
ZKC. The AI Access Coin.