The Graph (GRT) and Its Path to Skyrocketing by 2030: Web3 Infrastructure as the Catalyst for Token Value and Adoption

The Graph (GRT) is emerging as a cornerstone of Web3 infrastructure, with its decentralized data indexing protocol poised to drive long-term token value and adoption. As blockchain ecosystems evolve toward more scalable and interoperable solutions, GRT's role in democratizing data access is becoming increasingly critical. Recent growth metrics, strategic partnerships, and a forward-looking roadmap suggest that GRT is not just a speculative asset but a foundational layer for the next phase of decentralized innovation.

Q3 2025 Growth: A Surge in Network Usage and Strategic Partnerships

In Q3 2025, The Graph network achieved a 23% increase in query volume compared to February 2025, with April alone setting records for active paying wallets on Studio, according to Edge & Node's March/April 2025 update. This growth was fueled by the integration of The Graph's Token API into AI tools like Claude, Cline, and Cursor, enabling AI-assisted crypto wallet and price data solutions, as noted in the same update. These partnerships highlight GRT's adaptability to emerging technologies, particularly in the AI-driven Web3 space.

The network also expanded its chain integrations to include MegaETH testnet, Ethereum Hoodi testnet, and Manta, broadening its utility across diverse blockchain ecosystems, as the Edge & Node update reported. Meanwhile, partnerships with projects like Treble Finance, Nutbox, and Atlantis DEX underscored GRT's growing appeal as a data infrastructure provider for decentralized finance (DeFi) and decentralized exchanges (DEXs).

Tokenomics and Economic Design: Balancing Supply and Demand

The Graph's tokenomics are engineered to sustain long-term network health. With an initial supply of 10 billion GRT, the protocol allocates 3% annual issuance to reward Indexers-nodes that index and serve data to users. To counterbalance inflation, approximately 1% of the supply is burned annually through mechanisms like a 0.5% delegation tax, 1% curation tax, and 1% of query fees, according to Tokenomics of The Graph Network.

This economic model incentivizes participation while maintaining scarcity. Indexers must stake at least 100,000 GRT to operate, and Delegators can earn 9-12% annual returns by staking GRT with Indexers. Curators, who signal on high-quality Subgraphs, further enhance data quality by paying a 1% curation tax. These layered incentives create a self-sustaining ecosystem where data availability and quality are prioritized.

2025-2030 Roadmap: Scaling Web3's Data Infrastructure

The Graph's 2025-2030 roadmap, described in The New Era of The Graph, outlines a bold vision to transform from a data indexing protocol into a comprehensive data services ecosystem. Key initiatives include:
1. World of Data Services: Expanding beyond GraphQL to support Firehose (real-time data streams) and Substreams (modular data processing), enabling faster data flow for AI models and analytics tools, as the roadmap explains.
2. Developer Empowerment: Streamlining billing, reducing gas fees, and enhancing tooling for Substreams and the Graph CLI to lower barriers for dApp developers, according to the roadmap.
3. Interconnected Graph of Data: Building composable knowledge graphs and integrating natural language processing (NLP) to make data more accessible via LLMs, the roadmap notes.
4. Protocol Evolution: Introducing Scalar (a new payments system) and Timeline Aggregation Protocol (TAP) to improve decentralization and cost efficiency, per the roadmap.

These upgrades position GRT to address critical Web3 challenges, such as data latency and interoperability, while aligning with AI's growing role in data analysis.

Institutional Adoption and the Grayscale Effect

Institutional interest in GRT has surged with the launch of the Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund, which includes GRT alongside tokens like RENDER, FIL, and TAO, as reported in Grayscale Offers AI Crypto Access. This fund simplifies access to AI-driven crypto assets for accredited investors, potentially driving demand for GRT as a key enabler of AI-Web3 integration. By 2030, such institutional backing could amplify GRT's utility and liquidity, further solidifying its role in the decentralized data economy.

Conclusion: A 2030 Growth Case Built on Infrastructure

The Graph's trajectory is underpinned by three pillars: network usage growth, robust tokenomics, and strategic alignment with AI and Web3 trends. With a 2025-2030 roadmap focused on scalability, interoperability, and developer empowerment, GRT is well-positioned to become a critical infrastructure layer for decentralized applications. As AI adoption accelerates and institutional capital flows into AI-Web3 convergence, GRT's value proposition-democratizing data access-could catalyze exponential growth by 2030.