Arweave Foundation Launches Network Availability Staking Testnet, Initiates Gateway Data Service Incentive Mechanism

April 16 — Official sources confirm that AO, a scalable blockchain network built on Arweave, has launched its **Network Availability Staking Alpha (NASA)** test program. A key milestone for the AO ecosystem, the initiative aims to boost the availability and reliability of its decentralized data network through a staking mechanism. Currently in the Alpha stage, users can participate in network availability validation and earn rewards by providing data services to Arweave gateways and staking AO tokens. In the initial pilot, AO’s "Availability Staking" rule requires node operators to stake 25 AO coins to join the network—where they compete to deliver fast, stable responses to user requests. The system will distribute rewards from a monthly pool of 1,000 AO tokens based on node performance in data services. Powered by the next-gen HyperBEAM architecture, the program enables gateways and routing services to achieve higher verifiability and trustlessness while cutting operating costs significantly. The project team notes NASA seeks to build a more robust decentralized economic model for the permanent network infrastructure, laying groundwork for future expansions into compute scheduling, data indexing, and network services. Though rewards are small and the program is still in testing, it’s viewed as a critical starting point for the AO-Core economic system and will gradually expand to cover more network infrastructure services down the line.