After being noticed by IBM, three surged 50x

Original author: KarenZ, Foresight News

A partnership announcement with IBM swiftly propelled the Solana ecosystem project three.ws into the market spotlight, with the three.ws token, THREE, surging over 50 times.

The direct catalyst for the price surge came from IBM. From the evening of June 1st to the early morning of June 2nd, the official IBM Twitter account responded twice to content published by three.ws regarding their collaboration.

As the news circulated, the three.ws token THREE experienced rapid growth. According to GMGN data, THREE's market cap skyrocketed from approximately $300,000 before IBM's response to a high of $16.38 million on June 4th, a staggering 53-fold increase. Currently, THREE's market cap is fluctuating around $13 million.

It's evident that this wasn't a gradual uptrend starting from the token's launch. THREE was issued on the Solana chain back in late April, with the main price appreciation concentrated around the time of IBM's public response and the collaborative announcement.

However, understanding three.ws simply as a Solana AI project backed by an IBM partnership would miss the core problem it aims to solve: Currently, most AI Agents remain hidden within chat interfaces and backend processes. Users can't see them and it's difficult to identify, own, or invoke them across different websites, devices, and blockchain environments.

three.ws aims to equip AI Agents with a body, memory, identity, wallet, and distribution channels, transforming them into 3D digital characters capable of appearing on web pages, executing actions, and conducting transactions.

Liberating AI from the Chat Box onto the Web

three.ws defines itself as the "3D Agent Layer" for the internet. Founder @nichxbt currently has over 20,000 followers on Twitter and boasts a blue checkmark verified account.

The project has already been listed on AWS Marketplace and Alibaba Cloud International Marketplace, and has joined the Google Cloud for Web3 Startups program. three.ws is also included in the official Anthropic MCP Registry and is a W3C Contributor and participant in the Solana Frontier Hackathon.

Based on the project's existing code and documentation, three.ws's foundational capabilities include loading, inspecting, and displaying 3D models on the web, subsequently integrating large language models (LLMs), memory, voice, skills, on-chain identity, and payment functionalities.

Simply put, developers can create a 3D character on the platform, connect it to an LLM, memory system, voice, and skills, and then embed it into a website using an web component.

For example, a company could deploy a 3D shopping guide Agent on a product page to introduce items, answer questions, and demonstrate product features through actions. Developers could also build digital customer service agents, virtual teachers, game characters, or personal AI assistants.

This process is somewhat similar to embedding a YouTube video. Developers don't need to build complex 3D pages from scratch. By adding the component and Agent ID, users can see and interact with the Agent in their browser.

three.ws offers multiple ways to create characters. Users can upload a selfie to generate an animatable 3D avatar in about 60 seconds; create a model from text or images; upload their own GLB or glTF files; or use the character editor to build one.

Once a character is generated, developers can configure it with different LLMs, voices, and skills.

three.ws also integrates on-chain capabilities for its Agents. An Agent can possess a Solana wallet, pay for premium APIs using USDC via the x402 protocol, and register its identity either as a Metaplex Core asset on Solana or via ERC-8004 on EVM chains. A distinction must be made here between identity and funds: on-chain identity proves who owns the Agent and where its profile points to, while the wallet handles payments and executing transactions.

How Does a 3D Agent Operate?

three.ws is composed of four independent and interchangeable technical layers. Developers can combine all four layers or use only a subset of them.

The bottommost layer is the Viewer Layer, also known as the Rendering Layer.

This layer is responsible for loading and displaying 3D models in the browser, including lighting, camera, materials, and animations. It is built upon three.js and is inherently agnostic to whether there's an AI, wallet, or on-chain identity behind the model. Therefore, even without connecting to an Agent, the Viewer can function independently as a 3D model viewer.

The second layer is the Agent Layer, which serves as the character's brain and behavior system.

When a user provides input, the LLM processes it in conjunction with the character's role settings, historical memory, and installed skills. If the user asks the character to wave, the model invokes the corresponding tool, prompting the scene controller to play the waving animation. If the character needs to remember something, the memory module stores the relevant information.

This layer also includes an emotion system. Characters can alter their expressions, gaze, and actions based on events, appearing happier after completing a task or showing concern when an operation fails.

The third layer is the Identity Layer. This layer is optional.

The Identity Layer ensures an Agent maintains a consistent identity across different websites, devices, and sessions. The Agent's profile, memory patterns, and resource addresses can be written into a Manifest file and stored via IPFS or the platform's servers.

According to the three.ws official documentation, its Solana Agent already supports registering on-chain identity via Metaplex Core. However, on-chain reputation registration and verification registries related to ERC-8004 are currently only available on the EVM side, with the verification registry still in the testnet phase.

The fourth layer is the Embedding and Distribution Layer. This layer is responsible for presenting the Agent to users. Developers can integrate the character into websites, applications, and enterprise interfaces via web components, iframes, widgets, or SDKs.

In simpler terms, the Rendering Layer handles the body and actions, the Agent Layer provides the brain, memory, and skills, the Identity Layer offers an optional digital passport, and the Embedding Layer deploys the character onto websites and applications.

three.ws's fee structure should be understood from two dimensions: the channel through which users access or purchase services, and the fees incurred for using the platform.

Regarding purchase/access channels, users can subscribe directly, choosing from a free version, Pro ($49/month), or an enterprise plan based on their needs. AWS Marketplace serves as the enterprise procurement channel.

After subscribing to three.ws, developers can use x402 to set prices for the Agent's chat, content generation, or API calls, with the caller paying per use in USDC. A platform fee is deducted from the revenue earned by developers: the platform fee is 0% for the free version during the public beta (post-beta rates are yet to be announced), 2.9% for the Pro version, and custom rates for the Enterprise version are determined by agreement.

IBM Bridges Enterprise Capabilities, AWS and Others Handle Distribution

For a 3D AI Agent project, creating a demo-able digital character is not particularly difficult. The real challenge lies in getting the product into enterprise procurement systems and meeting requirements related to billing, deployment, identity verification, and AI governance.

three.ws is leveraging platforms like IBM and AWS Marketplace to fill these gaps.

On May 27th, three.ws announced its inclusion in the AWS Partner Network (APN) and subsequently listed on AWS Marketplace. This allows enterprise clients to purchase three.ws services using their existing AWS accounts.

Following this, three.ws published a technical article detailing its SaaS product billing on the AWS Builder Center blog. This solution connects AWS Marketplace's customer verification, usage-based billing, and subscription management with on-chain x402 payment APIs.

Regarding the IBM partnership, three.ws plans to combine its 3D Agent technology with IBM's enterprise AI, hybrid cloud, and market channels. It will also integrate IBM's Granite series models for use cases including conversational AI, image understanding, semantic matching, market forecasting, and enterprise governance.

AWS Marketplace helps three.ws integrate into enterprise procurement and billing systems, while IBM provides enterprise AI technology and commercial channels. Both partnerships point towards a single goal: transforming the 3D AI Agent from an eye-catching browser demo into a service that enterprises can purchase, deploy, and manage.

In a bear market, the public acknowledgment from IBM granted three.ws scarce market attention.

However, beyond the hype, the project must still address practical questions: Do enterprises and developers truly need an AI Agent equipped with a body, skills, and a digital identity? And what role will the THREE token ultimately play within this system?