A subnet is an independent part of a larger network, with its own rules and its own task, that still uses the network's shared infrastructure. The word is used in more than one place in crypto, but it is best known from BittensorBittensor (TAO)An open network where participants compete to deliver AI work and are rewarded in TAO. The maximum supply is 21 million TAO..
Subnets in Bittensor
In Bittensor, each subnet is a market for one kind of AI work. The subnet's owner defines the task and what counts as good work. So-called miners do the work, for example by answering requests with an AI model, and validatorsValidatorA participant on a proof-of-stake network who locks up their own crypto as a stake to create and check blocks in return for rewards. test the work and score it. Rewards in TAO are shared according to the scores.
Examples of subnets include Chutes, which runs AI models for users, and Targon, a marketplace for GPU computing power. In November 2026 the limit was 128 subnets, and every slot was taken.
Alpha tokens
Since February 2025, every subnet in Bittensor has had its own token, called an alpha token. Anyone who stakes TAO in a subnet, through StakingStakingLocking up crypto on a proof-of-stake network to help confirm transactions, in return for rewards paid in the same crypto., receives its alpha tokens instead. Their price affects how big a share of new TAO the subnet receives, so the market largely decides which subnets get the most.
What to keep in mind
Alpha tokens can swing more in price than TAO itself, and the subnets are at very different stages. Avalanche also long used the word for its specialised blockchains, which are now called Avalanche L1s.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 4 November 2026.