Chainlink Leads AI Crypto Development as NEAR and ICP Stay Active

• Chainlink ranked first among AI and big data projects by 30-day development activity.
• Internet Computer placed second, while NEAR Protocol held third position.
• NEAR, FET, and RENDER recorded strong gains during the previous week’s AI token rally.

Chainlink has moved to the front of the crypto AI development race as builders continue working through a weaker market. Santiment’s latest ranking placed LINK above Internet Computer and NEAR Protocol based on notable GitHub activity during the past 30 days.

The list measures development rather than token performance, separating repository work from the short-term price moves that often dominate AI crypto coverage. OriginTrail also recorded one of the strongest ranking improvements, while several smaller projects gained ground within the top ten.

Santiment ranked Chainlink first with a 30-day development activity score of 127.93. Internet Computer followed with 106.57, leaving both projects well ahead of the remaining networks in the measured period.

NEAR Protocol held third place with a score of 43.4. Meanwhile, OriginTrail reached fourth after climbing three positions, recording 42.63 and moving close to NEAR’s total.

Source: X

Livepeer ranked fifth with 26.7, followed by Injective at 18.37 and Filecoin at 15.57. Aleph.im rose three places into eighth, while Phala Network and Oasis Protocol completed the top ten.

Santiment filters public repository events to reduce duplicated or low-value activity before compiling its development rankings. Earlier lists have also placed LINK, ICP, NEAR, Filecoin, and Livepeer among the sector’s most active projects, although their order has shifted between updates.

Related:AI Tokens Surge as Bitcoin Stalls; NEAR Leads Rally

Directional indicators in the latest data showed that most leading projects held their previous positions. Chainlink, Internet Computer, NEAR, Livepeer, Injective, and Filecoin remained unchanged from the earlier update.

OriginTrail provided the clearest movement near the top, rising three places into fourth. Aleph. I’ve also gained three positions, while Phala Network moved two places higher. Oasis Protocol added one position and closed the ranking in tenth.

The changes show that development work remains concentrated across Oracle infrastructure, decentralized computing, data networks, storage, and media delivery. Chainlink’s leadership also extends a pattern seen in February, when the project ranked first ahead of ICP and NEAR in Santiment’s AI and big data category.

Related: China Works on AI Token Futures in Race Against U.S. GPU Compute

Developer rankings arrived after AI-linked tokens produced a sharp market rally in late May. NEAR gained 81% over seven days in the earlier period, while Artificial Superintelligence Alliance and RENDER each climbed about 31%.

Injective rose 15% during that week, while Bittensor added 11%. Those gains reflected token performance, whereas Santiment’s latest list tracks engineering work and repository activity.

Additionally, China’s early research into AI token futures has widened attention around the economics of artificial intelligence. The proposed contracts would treat tokens processed by AI models as standardized units that companies could use to manage changing computation costs.

Together, the two developments show separate sides of the AI market. Token prices continue reacting to changing demand, while GitHub activity identifies where teams are still releasing code and maintaining infrastructure.