$TRI Reward Rates
Every useful computation on the Trinity DePIN network earns $TRI. This page details exact reward rates, bonus multipliers, and example earnings scenarios.
Reward Rates Table
All rates are defined in src/firebird/depin.zig and enforced on-chain.
| Operation | Rate | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| VSA Evolution | 0.001 TRI | per generation | Evolving hypervector populations via genetic algorithms |
| Navigation | 0.0001 TRI | per step | Navigating semantic vector spaces (similarity search) |
| WASM Conversion | 0.01 TRI | per conversion | Compiling WebAssembly modules to ternary bytecode |
| Benchmark | 0.005 TRI | per run | Executing reproducible performance benchmarks |
| Storage Hosting | 0.00005 TRI | per shard per hour | Hosting and serving erasure-coded data shards |
| Storage Retrieval | 0.0005 TRI | per retrieval | Serving a requested shard to a client |
Bonus Multipliers
High-quality work is rewarded disproportionately. Bonuses stack with base rewards.
Evolution Fitness Bonus
| Fitness Score | Bonus | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| > 0.9 | +50% | 0.0015 TRI/generation |
| > 0.7 | +25% | 0.00125 TRI/generation |
| <= 0.7 | No bonus | 0.001 TRI/generation |
Fitness is measured as the best-of-population score after each generation. Higher fitness means the evolved hypervector is more useful.
Navigation Similarity Bonus
| Final Similarity | Bonus | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| > 0.8 | +100% | 0.0002 TRI/step |
| > 0.5 | +50% | 0.00015 TRI/step |
| <= 0.5 | No bonus | 0.0001 TRI/step |
Similarity is measured using cosine similarity between the navigation result and the target vector. Reaching closer to the target earns more.
Staking Multiplier
| Staked Amount | Multiplier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 100+ TRI | 1.5x | All earnings multiplied by 1.5 |
| < 100 TRI | 1.0x | Standard rates |
The minimum stake is 100 TRI (defined in token_staking.zig). The multiplier applies globally to all operation types. It stacks multiplicatively with fitness and similarity bonuses.
Example: A node with 100+ TRI staked running VSA evolution with fitness 0.95 earns:
0.001 TRI (base) + 0.0005 TRI (50% fitness bonus) = 0.0015 TRI
0.0015 TRI * 1.5 (staking multiplier) = 0.00225 TRI per generation
Monthly Earnings Calculator
The following scenarios assume 30 days of continuous operation.
Scenario 1: Casual Operator
A single node running basic operations, no staking.
| Operation | Volume | Rate | Monthly Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| VSA Evolution | 1,000 gen/day | 0.001 TRI | 30.0 TRI |
| Navigation | 5,000 steps/day | 0.0001 TRI | 15.0 TRI |
| Storage Hosting | 100 shards | 0.00005 TRI/hr | 3.6 TRI |
| Storage Retrieval | 200/day | 0.0005 TRI | 3.0 TRI |
| Total | 51.6 TRI/month |
Scenario 2: Active Operator
A dedicated node running high-throughput workloads with quality bonuses.
| Operation | Volume | Effective Rate | Monthly Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| VSA Evolution | 10,000 gen/day (fitness 0.92) | 0.0015 TRI | 450.0 TRI |
| Navigation | 50,000 steps/day (sim 0.85) | 0.0002 TRI | 300.0 TRI |
| WASM Conversion | 50/day | 0.01 TRI | 15.0 TRI |
| Benchmark | 100/day | 0.005 TRI | 15.0 TRI |
| Storage Hosting | 1,000 shards | 0.00005 TRI/hr | 36.0 TRI |
| Storage Retrieval | 2,000/day | 0.0005 TRI | 30.0 TRI |
| Total | 846.0 TRI/month |
Scenario 3: Staked Power Operator
Same as Active Operator but with 100+ TRI staked (1.5x multiplier on all earnings).
| Without Staking | With Staking (1.5x) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Earnings | 846.0 TRI | 1,269.0 TRI/month |
Proof-of-Useful-Work Explained
Trinity's reward system is built on Proof-of-Useful-Work (PoUW). Here is how a single operation flows:
Verification
Each operation produces a verifiable proof:
| Operation | Proof Type |
|---|---|
| VSA Evolution | Final population fitness score + best vector hash |
| Navigation | Path trace + final similarity score |
| WASM Conversion | Output bytecode hash + instruction count |
| Benchmark | Timing measurements + result hash |
| Storage Hosting | Periodic challenge-response (prove you still hold the shard) |
| Storage Retrieval | Client confirmation + content hash |
If a node submits an incorrect proof, the reward is not credited and the node's reputation score decreases.
Rate Adjustment
Reward rates are subject to change via governance as the network scales. Factors that influence rate adjustments:
- Network size -- more nodes may reduce per-operation rewards
- Token price -- rates may adjust to maintain USD-equivalent earnings targets
- Demand -- high-demand operation types may see temporary rate boosts
- Supply -- the 40% node rewards pool depletes over time, reducing emissions
Current rates are defined as constants in src/firebird/depin.zig and will transition to on-chain governance parameters.
Next Steps
- Tokenomics -- understand the full $TRI economy
- Quick Start -- start your node and begin earning
- Architecture -- how the network verifies work