Prop 331: AEP Support Services – Q2 2026 Funding Proposal
AEP Support Services – Q2 2026 Funding Proposal
Summary
This proposal secures funding for the ongoing support and maintenance infrastructure required to operate the Akash Network beyond any single AEP development initiative. Covering the Q2 2026 period (April 1 – June 30, 2026), it spans Client operations, provider DevOps, customer support, core codebase upkeep, community coordination, and financial governance — the operational baseline that keeps the network running between milestone releases.
Motivation
With the Console redesign and Console Air (AEP-84), confidential compute (AEP-65 / AEP-83), resource reclamation (AEP-82), and on-chain provider verification (AEP-86) development efforts being completed this quarter, Akash's operational surface area has expanded materially. The network's support infrastructure must scale alongside the protocol and client work delivered in Q2. This proposal secures funding for the ongoing support and maintenance that keeps Akash running beyond any single development initiative — spanning Client operations, provider management, core codebase upkeep, community coordination, and financial governance.
Total Request
For the Q2 2026 AEP Support Services Proposal, Overclock Labs is requesting $620,342 from the Community Pool for labor directly attributable to the support programs for this period, alongside a 44.7% AKT volatility buffer.
| Request from CP | |
|---|---|
| Engineering hours | 439.42 |
| Engineering rate per hour | $149.74 |
| Engineering total cost | $65,799 |
| Support hours | 3,907.15 |
| Support rate per hour | $92.88 |
| Support total cost | $362,910 |
| Labor Subtotal | $428,709 |
| AKT Volatility Buffer (44.7%)* | $191,633 |
| Total Request | $620,342 |
*AKT Volatility Buffer — A 44.7% buffer is applied to this request to ensure adequate coverage during an adequate liquidation based on the past 180 days of AKT price fluctuations (applied as of 7/1/26). Any unused buffer during liquidation will be returned.
Budget Breakdown
| Hours | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Core/Client Enhancements & Support | 381.42 | $52,093.71 |
| As a percentage of total labor budget | 8.78% | 12.15% |
| Product/Customer Support | 282.86 | $30,287.44 |
| As a percentage of total labor budget | 6.51% | 7.06% |
| DevOps and Provider Enhancement Support | 828.00 | $91,669.71 |
| As a percentage of total labor budget | 19.05% | 21.38% |
| Administrative Support | 822.85 | $120,375.51 |
| As a percentage of total labor budget | 18.93% | 28.08% |
| Community Support | 2,031.44 | $134,282.73 |
| As a percentage of total labor budget | 46.74% | 31.32% |
Supported Programs
For each of these items below, see a detailed explaination of support programs in the github discussion here.
Core/Client Enhancements & Support
Akash Console is the primary interface for deploying workloads on the network, and the Q2 2026 redesign (AEP-84) — a single stateful configure surface, the split of the crypto-native experience into a standalone Console Air application, and the exposure of confidential compute and resource reclamation directly in Console — significantly expanded its footprint.
Product/Customer Support
A key effort from Overclock Labs over the past six months has been ensuring satisfactory customer experiences across all Console touchpoints. As the network onboards an increasingly diverse tenant base — from individual developers to enterprise teams running production workloads — these efforts are directly attributable to user retention and user support.
DevOps and Provider Enhancement Support
The Provider Console is the network's native provider management platform, and the Q2 protocol work expanded what providers must operate — confidential-compute-capable hardware, InfiniBand RDMA fabric for multi-node GPU clusters, resource reclamation, and the on-chain provider verification program (AEP-86). Scaling the provider base while maintaining quality of service requires hands-on DevOps support across onboarding, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
Administrative and Community Support
Running an open-source, community-governed network at Akash's scale requires significant operational coordination. As the ecosystem grows — more AEPs, more providers, more community contributors — the administrative surface area grows with it.
Conclusion
These support services are what keep Akash running between milestone releases. Console infrastructure, provider DevOps, core codebase maintenance, community coordination, and FinOps governance — none of this is optional at the network's current scale. With the Q2 redesign, confidential compute, resource reclamation, and provider verification now in production, the operational load on every support function is increasing. Continued Community Pool funding ensures the network can absorb that growth without compromising stability or user experience.
Limited Market Impact & Transparent Reporting
Overclock Labs will custody the requested funds in a new, distinct wallet so that funds from any other source are not commingled.
All funds will be liquidated and managed to minimize market impact. These funds will be handled with the same care and attention as all previous Community Funding Proposals, with liquidations done in a fashion that will not adversely affect the market. In practice, the effort of this liquidation will add depth to the AKT market for buyers looking to enter.
In some cases, Overclock Labs will use structured market-making (MM) activity to manage funds responsibly. Conversions will take place gradually over defined trading windows rather than through large sell transactions. Spreading activity over these longer windows helps ensure that each trade reduces the likelihood of noticeable price movements and helps maintain a stable market for all participants. This measured approach allows Overclock Labs to meet operational needs while minimizing market impact and supporting steady liquidity within the AKT ecosystem.