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Grab partners with Solana ecosystem DePIN project to enhance mapping

Web3 & Enterprise·May 12, 2025, 3:03 AM

NATIX Network, an open geospatial intelligence network built upon proprietary AI technology, has partnered with Southeast Asian superapp Grab to collaborate on autonomous driving technology and mapping.

 

NATIX is a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) project that exists within the Solana ecosystem. Singapore-headquartered Grab offers a broad range of services via its app, including ride-hailing, package delivery and food delivery. Additionally, the firm offers mobile payments and insurance products.

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Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

Reshaping the mapping industry

In a blog post published to its website on May 6, NATIX outlined that the strategic partnership has been formed with a view towards reshaping the mapping industry. It explained that the objective in this regard would be to combine Grab’s camera hardware and its AI-based map-making software stack with NATIX’s decentralized blockchain-powered mapping data. 

 

Due to the nature of the services that it has offered in Southeast Asia since it was founded in 2012, Grab has, through necessity, become involved in mapping to enhance its service delivery. As a consequence, it has developed a suite of cameras including its KartaCam, a small action camera which can be mounted on bike helmets or car windshields, and a 360-degree standalone camera, KartaCam 2, with built-in sensors, AI image optimization and GPS capabilities.

 

‘Internet of Cameras’

For its part, NATIX claims to have built the world’s largest on-street camera network. As part of the collaboration, NATIX will use Grab’s hardware and software technology to expand its “Internet of Cameras.”

 

Posting on LinkedIn, GrabMaps set out its thoughts on the partnership, stating:

”By combining GrabMaps' AI-powered mapping technology with NATIX's decentralised data network, we're enabling real-time, high-fidelity map updates across the globe. As part of this collaboration, NATIX will launch VX360, a device built on Grab's hardware platform that allows Tesla drivers to collect and share 360° vehicle imagery.”

 

Appearing on the Unleashing DePIN podcast recently, NATIX Co-Founder and CEO Alireza Ghods outlined that NATIX will launch VX360, a proprietary device built by leveraging Grab’s existing hardware. He explained that this collaboration saves NATIX in terms of overall project cost and months of R&D, all of which enables it to get to market faster.

VX360 enables Tesla drivers to capture and share 360-degree imagery. 

 

Future potential

Ghods spoke to the additional future potential that the collaboration holds:

 

“The interesting part is that they have other types of devices as well, they have a dashcam, a 360 camera, and our plan is to definitely integrate all of this into our map making and data collection pipeline.”

 

This is not the first partnership that GrabMaps has established related to mapping. Previously it formed collaborations with Microsoft’s Bing Maps, navigation and mapping app Mappls and location data specialist Loqate. 

 

Ghods believes that NATIX can go one better than centralized mapping projects like TomTom and Google Street View. He told Cointelegraph that “a blockchain-based incentivization system provides better results in terms of frequency, participation, and coverage.” The NATIX co-founder asserted that such data can be gathered at a fraction of the cost via users’ devices.

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