What is DIEM?

DIEM is tokenized perpetual AI access — 1 staked DIEM equals $1/day of Venice.ai inference credits, forever.

WHAT IS DIEM?

DIEM is a utility token in the Venice.ai ecosystem that represents perpetual AI compute access. Each DIEM staked on the platform entitles the holder to $1/day of AI inference credits — access to all Venice.ai models including LLMs, image generators, and code assistants.

Unlike a subscription that stops when you stop paying, DIEM is a one-time acquisition (via minting or market purchase) that provides ongoing value indefinitely. Venice officially calls this “tokenized intelligence”— we also use the term perpetual compute bond, since DIEM behaves like a bond that pays out in AI compute rather than cash.

Think of DIEM as buying a solar panel for AI: upfront cost, then free energy (inference) every day, forever.

HOW MINTING WORKS

DIEM is minted by locking sVVV (staked VVV) as collateral. The process:

Stake VVV to receive sVVV (1:1).
Lock your sVVV in the DIEM minting contract.
Receive DIEM based on the current global mint rate.

Your sVVV is not spent. It remains locked as collateral and continues earning 80% of normal staking yield. Venice.ai receives the other 20% as protocol revenue.

To recover your locked sVVV, burn the equivalent DIEM at your personal burn rate. The round-trip is always zero-sum.

THE MINT RATE CURVE

The global mint rate follows an exponential curve that makes each additional DIEM progressively more expensive to mint:

mintRate = 90 × e^(2 × (supply / 38,000)³)

At low supply the rate starts around 90 sVVV per DIEM. As supply approaches the ~38,000 target cap, the rate rises parabolically.

DIEM Supply	sVVV per 1 DIEM	Context
0	90	Genesis rate
19,000	~116	Midpoint
30,000	~241	Curve steepens
35,000	~430	Getting expensive
37,600+	~665+	Near cap (current)

Track the live mint rate on the DIEM analytics page.

STAKING DIEM FOR API CREDITS

Once you have DIEM (minted or purchased), stake it to activate AI inference credits:

1 staked DIEM = $1/day of Venice.ai API credits (all models).
Minimum stake: 0.1 DIEM ($0.10/day).
No lock period — unstake anytime with a short cooldown.
Currently ~73% of all DIEM supply is staked, generating ~$27.7K/day in aggregate inference capacity.

DIEM stakers also earn a share of protocol fees, providing additional yield on top of the inference credits.

Important distinction:DIEM itself has no token emissions. The daily VVV emissions (~5M/year today, dropping to 3M by Jul 2026) go to sVVV holders separately. If you locked sVVV to mint DIEM, your locked sVVV still earns 80% of those VVV emissions — that's a separate income stream from the $1/day inference credits.

PERSONAL BURN RATE

Each wallet has a personal burn rate— the weighted average of all mint rates at which you minted DIEM:

personalBurnRate = sVVVLocked / outstandingDIEM

If you locked 665 sVVV at rate 665 to mint 1 DIEM, your personal burn rate is 665. To recover your 665 sVVV, burn 1 DIEM. The round-trip is always zero-sum.

If you minted at different times (different rates), your personal rate is a weighted average. Partial unlocks are also supported — burn a fraction of your DIEM to recover a proportional amount of sVVV.

BUY VS MINT

There are two ways to acquire DIEM: mint it by locking sVVV, or buy it on Aerodrome. The best choice depends on your goals:

Factor	Buy on Market	Mint via Lock
Speed	Instant	Need VVV + staking first
Capital efficiency	Pay market price once	Lock ~665 sVVV (recoverable)
VVV exposure	None (pure inference)	Full upside on locked sVVV
Ongoing yield	DIEM staking yield only	80% sVVV yield + DIEM staking yield
Best for	Pure inference buyers	VVV believers, long-term holders

The real cost of minting is not the locked sVVV (you get it back). The real cost is the 20% yield haircuton your locked position — the emission yield redirected to Venice.ai.

Use the Calculator to model both scenarios with current prices and rates.

FAIR VALUE FRAMEWORK

DIEM is a perpetuity: it pays $1/day ($365/year) forever. The standard valuation framework (used by Venice.ai founder Erik Voorhees):

Fair Value = $365 / discount_rate

Discount Rate	Implied Value	Interpretation
100% (1yr breakeven)	$365	Skeptical — just want 1 year of AI
50%	$730	Conservative — 2-year horizon
25%	$1,460	Optimistic — long-term believer
10%	$3,650	Very bullish — perpetuity priced like bonds

The discount rate reflects your assessment of Venice.ai's longevity and the risk that the $1/day credit becomes worthless (if Venice shuts down, DIEM has no utility). Higher confidence = lower discount rate = higher fair value.

CONTRACTS

DIEM contracts on Base chain:

Contract	Address
DIEM Token	`0xf4d97f2da56e8c3098f3a8d538db630a2606a024`
VVV/DIEM Pool (Aerodrome)	`0x782d7c494d5ddc20c246a82ac8fe277e2728d002`

Explore live DIEM data on VeniceStats

DIEM Analytics DIEM Calculator What is VVV?