Alchemy, a blockchain infrastructure firm, has unveiled a system that enables autonomous AI agents to buy compute credits and access its blockchain data services using on-chain wallets and USDC on Base. The initial release allows agents to directly query blockchain networks, verify NFT ownership, view wallet balances across multiple chains, and access live token price data, with more networks and services planned.
When prepaid compute credits are exhausted, Alchemy issues a payment request that can be automatically settled in USDC on Base, allowing continued operation without human intervention. Agents can fund accounts with as little as $1 in USDC, and once credited, continue making API calls until the balance is depleted and another automated payment is required. The system uses Coinbase’s x402 payment standard to convert an HTTP ‘402 Payment Required’ response into an automatic billing trigger. The x402 is an open standard that allows web services to request onchain payments directly through HTTP responses, enabling machine-to-machine transactions without manual invoicing.
Nikil Viswanathan, CEO of Alchemy, told Cointelegraph that the system is aimed at developers building autonomous DeFi agents, portfolio management bots and other multi-step onchain workflows. He said that several major crypto applications, including Robinhood Crypto, Uniswap, OpenSea, Aave, and 0x, already rely on Alchemy to power transactions, adding: “Now AI agents can access that same infrastructure autonomously, without a human ever touching it. This is the moment the agentic economy gets its own set of keys.”
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