How to Mint DIEM | Venice AI Guide

Before You Start: The Math

At current rates, buying DIEM saves you 78% vs minting.

Current Mint Cost

$5,928

Market Price

$1,270

📈 DIEM Supply Target Expanding

Venice is raising the DIEM supply target toward 40,000 DIEM. Current target: 38,500 (raised Aug 3, 2026). Utility is unchanged: 1 staked DIEM = $1/day of API credits that refresh daily.

Why it matters for minting: the mint rate climbs as supply approaches the target. Lifting the target opens more headroom before the curve steepens again. Existing DIEM keeps the same $1/day utility.

Staged schedule (+500 every two weeks):

                Aug 3 → 38,500 (done)

                Aug 17 → 39,000

                Aug 31 → 39,500

                Sep 14 → 40,000

Staged over ~6 weeks so each step can be digested. Minting and re-minting stay available throughout. Always re-check the live mint rate before locking VVV.

Step 1: Connect Wallet

Prerequisite: Complete wallet connection from the VVV Staking Guide

Go to venice.ai/token
Connect your wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, etc.)
Ensure you have staked VVV (sVVV) available

Step 2: View Your Holdings

Under "My Venice Holdings" you will see your VVV & DIEM balances displayed.

This shows your available sVVV that can be locked to mint DIEM.

Step 3: Open Mint/Burn Interface

Click the "Mint/Burn DIEM" button to open the minting interface.

You will see the current mint rate displayed (e.g., 531.14 sVVV per DIEM).

Step 4: Select Mint or Burn

Choose your action:

Mint: Lock sVVV to create new DIEM tokens
Burn: Destroy DIEM to unlock your sVVV

Step 5: Enter Amount & Confirm

If Minting (Locking VVV):

Enter amount of sVVV to lock
Interface shows DIEM to be minted based on current rate
Click "Mint"
Confirm transaction in your wallet

If Burning (Unlocking VVV):

Enter amount of DIEM to burn
Click "Unlock sVVV"
Confirm transaction in your wallet
Your sVVV unlocks immediately

ℹ️ How Unlocking Works: You receive back the exact amount of sVVV you originally locked. Burn the same quantity of DIEM tokens you originally minted, and the smart contract releases your specific sVVV principal. The amount is determined by your historical mint rate, not current rates.

Note: If you minted DIEM at multiple different mint rates (e.g., some at 325.70 sVVV/DIEM and some at 531.14 sVVV/DIEM), your burn rate will be calculated as a weighted average of all your historical mint rates. The system tracks each minting event separately and computes the average rate across your total DIEM holdings when you burn.

Ready to mint? Head to the Venice token dashboard

Stake your VVV, then lock sVVV to mint DIEM at the current rate.

Visit Venice.ai

What To Do With Your DIEM

Option A: Stake for API Access

DIEM is tokenized inference. Each token earns $1/day of AI compute credits on Venice AI, refreshing daily. You don't spend it down; you hold it for perpetual access.

Why DIEM exists (separate from VVV): stable daily API capacity per user, plus transferable compute for people who hold VVV but are not heavy API users.

Option B: Trade

Sell DIEM at your preferred exchange.

⚠️ Warning: If you sell DIEM and want your VVV back later, you must buy DIEM at market price to burn it.

Option C: Rent Out Your Inference

DIEM's $1/day of API access isn't just for your own use anymore. A growing ecosystem of inference-sharing services now lets you rent out your idle DIEM capacity to AI agents and developers who need it, earning passive income without selling your tokens.

How it works, in plain terms:

You stake your DIEM on Venice and create an API key
You list your available inference capacity on a sharing platform
AI agents or developers rent your capacity, paying you in USDC
You keep earning your 80% VVV staking yield the whole time

This turns DIEM from a "use it or lose it" token into a yield-generating asset. You don't have to choose between using your API credits and letting them go to waste. You can monetize the days you're not using them.

Important: This applies equally whether you minted or bought your DIEM. Rental income doesn't change the mint-vs-buy math. It's a benefit of holding DIEM, not of minting it.

Option D: Hold

Hold as a fixed-cost hedge against rising AI compute prices.

Important Risks

⚠️ Re-Acquisition Risk: If you sell DIEM and the price rises, you may pay more to get your VVV back.

⚠️ Mint Rate Volatility: Rates increase as DIEM supply grows, meaning you need more VVV to mint each DIEM as the supply increases. Check current rate before minting.

When Minting Makes Sense

Yield Seekers: Lock VVV to mint DIEM and earn ~6.77% APR (80% of base staking rewards)
Long-term holders: Want permanent $1/day capacity and are fine locking VVV for a long time.
Market Makers: Arbitrage opportunities

Everyone else: Buy at your preferred exchange.

Educational content only. Not financial advice. Not affiliated with Venice AI.