> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://secret-pad.gitbook.io/aaa-gitbook/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://secret-pad.gitbook.io/aaa-gitbook/3.6.-node-sales-and-staking-for-ai-agents.md).

# 3.6. Node Sales & Staking for AI Agents

**3.6.1. How It Works**

Choose your participation model:

* **Run a Node**: Stake **$AAA** tokens + hardware investment.
* **Rent a Node**: Pay-as-you-go **cloud access** for AI compute power.

*“Become a validator or leverage shared AI compute power.”*

**3.6.2. Node Tiers & Requirements**

| **Tier**   | **Use Case**        | **$AAA Stake** | **Hardware**            |
| ---------- | ------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------- |
| **Light**  | Data validation     | 100K           | VPS (2 CPU, 4GB RAM)    |
| **Medium** | Content generation  | 500K           | Dedicated server        |
| **Pro**    | LLM/DeFi processing | 1M+            | GPU cluster (A100/H100) |

**Key Q\&A:**

* **Rewards**: 8-15% APY (network-dependent).
* **Lock-up**: 90-day minimum stake.
* **Slashing**: 1-5% penalty for downtime > 1%.
* **Delegation**: Yes, with a 10% fee via smart contracts.

**3.6.3. Economics**

* **Node Operators Earn**:
  * **Block rewards** + **ecosystem revenue share**.
  * **ROI**: 6-18 months (varies by tier).
* **Renters Pay**:
  * **$0.10 – $5/hour** (based on resources used).

**3.6.4. Tech Specs**

* **Decentralization**: Rented nodes capped at **20%** of the network.
* **Security**: **ZKP-based** node auditing for transparent validation.

*“Nodes power the AI economy. Be a validator, resource provider, or consumer.”*