# GPU protectionism and KYC are coming — but the protocol stays permissionless

- **Speaker:** Greg Osuri
- **Attribution:** attributed
- **Said:** 2023-05-17
- **Theme:** Crypto & DePIN — https://www.gregosuri.com/predictions/crypto-depin/
- **Source:** Mission: DeFi EP 98 - Can Akash be a major player in AI with their GPU market? Founder Greg Osuri (Mission: DeFi)
- **Watch at:** 00:27:36 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci_r_fOVT04&t=1656s
- **Canonical:** https://www.gregosuri.com/predictions/crypto-depin/2023-05-17-gpu-protectionism-and-kyc-are-coming-but-the-proto-2t3f/
- **Cite as:** Greg Osuri, "GPU protectionism and KYC are coming — but the protocol stays permissionless," Mission: DeFi EP 98 - Can Akash be a major player in AI with their GPU market? Founder Greg Osuri (Mission: DeFi), 17 May 2023, 00:27:36. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci_r_fOVT04&t=1656s

## Quote — verbatim

> The world is kind of going to higher protectionism when it comes to GPUs... I would imagine some American GPU providers will have to know who the users are, so I don't think there's escape from verified users... but at a protocol level it will always be permissionless — that's not going to change.

## Context — site annotation, not spoken

Citing US export controls on high-end GPU sales to China (~9 months prior); he distinguishes provider-level compliance from protocol-level neutrality.