AI-linked crypto tokens jump after Nvidia CEO pitches “agentic” AI at GTC
NEAR, FET, GRASS and Worldcoin’s WLD gained more than 10% as Jensen Huang projected a $1T chip-demand backlog through 2027
AI-linked crypto tokens rallied on March 16 after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang used his GTC keynote to outline the company’s next phase of AI infrastructure and spotlight “agentic” AI systems. NEAR, FET, GRASS and Worldcoin’s WLD each gained more than 10% on the day, while Nvidia shares closed roughly 1.5% higher after an initial jump during the speech.
Nvidia’s GTC keynote is a closely watched read-through for AI infrastructure demand, and Monday’s session showed that sensitivity spilling into AI-themed crypto. Traders pushed a cluster of tokens tied to AI narratives higher even though the keynote itself stayed focused on chips, software, and enterprise tooling rather than blockchain.
NEAR traded around $1.4461 after rising more than 10% over the past 24 hours, reaching its strongest level since late January, according to Coin360 data. Artificial Superintelligence Alliance’s FET token climbed as much as 20% intraday before paring gains later in the session.
Worldcoin’s WLD rose about 10% to trade near $0.40, its strongest level since early March, according to Coin360 data. The project is positioned around digital identity and was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Grass (GRASS) gained 13% to fresh 2026 highs, according to Coin360 data, and is marketed as a decentralized network that lets users monetize unused internet bandwidth to train AI models.
Huang’s keynote reinforced Nvidia’s role as a core supplier to the AI buildout. He told the GTC audience the company expects roughly $1 trillion worth of chip-demand backlog through 2027, and said hyperscale cloud providers account for about 60% of Nvidia’s business.
He also emphasized the rapid rise of agentic AI systems, pointing to the viral OpenClaw project that has been gaining traction among developers in recent weeks. Huang said Nvidia adapted OpenClaw into an enterprise-ready version called NemoClaw, designed to make autonomous AI agents safer for corporate use without exposing sensitive data.
The crypto rally unfolded without any explicit crypto reference in the speech. Even so, parts of the market have been trading AI tokens as a parallel expression of the broader “AI trade,” alongside equities tied to AI infrastructure demand.
Some blockchain projects are positioning crypto rails and decentralized networks as potential infrastructure for AI agents, including systems intended to support autonomous transactions and coordination. Other efforts are aimed at decentralized alternatives for computing power, AI training, and agent tooling, framing blockchain-based networks as competitors to centralized AI platforms.
Nvidia shares rose about 2% during the keynote before pulling back, and the stock finished the day up roughly 1.5%.
What remains unclear is how much of Monday’s AI-token move can be attributed specifically to the keynote versus broader market positioning around AI-linked assets. The next data point for traders will be whether these tokens hold their gains as attention shifts from the keynote headlines to follow-on product details and any updates that further quantify near-term AI infrastructure demand.
