Solana on the rise today: AI-related tokens move billions in network activity

Solana has been demonstrating strength in recent days, fueled by intense speculative activity around tokens linked to Claude Code. This AI ecosystem is generating an unprecedented boom in network activity, with the platform experiencing a period of vigorous movement.

The Solana network recorded a sharp increase in active addresses, jumping from 4.7 million in the first week of January to 18.9 million last week, according to data from DefiLlama. Weekly transactions also exploded from 390 million to 530 million in the same period. This exponential growth is directly related to the speculative fever around Claude Code, an AI toolkit developed by Anthropic, with dozens of new tokens being launched daily by the Wallets platform, a native Solana launchpad.

The Technical Breakout in Strong Volume

Analyzing price action, Solana managed to break a narrow consolidation pattern with a robust volume of approximately 2.34 million SOL, according to CoinDesk Research analysis. This breakout marked a short-term turning point, after the token successfully defended support near $127.

Recent data shows SOL trading close to $122.94, down 3.41% in 24 hours. Despite the recent pullback, the previous move to $127.84 (24-hour high) highlights volatility and ongoing interest in the asset. The context is important: while Solana advances driven by AI token dynamics, broader indices like CoinDesk 20 recorded modest gains of only 0.15%, reinforcing SOL’s relative performance.

Network Activity Versus Locked Value

Network activity on Solana increased sharply, but this growth did not proportionally translate into capital volume. The total value locked in the network fell to around US$8.4 billion, suggesting that much of the growth in active addresses is speculative and concentrated in low-liquidity token launches.

This pattern is typical of speculative cycles in AI tokens: many projects remain highly experimental, but some have been “claimed” by the original teams of AI projects, allowing trading fees to be redirected to developers. This mechanism fuels a feedback loop, attracting increasing on-chain activity.

Critical Levels and Future Scenarios

From a technical perspective, SOL faces two main scenarios. If the price can stay above $126-$124, there is potential for new tests of the highs near $130. On the other hand, a break below this support would open space for retests of lower levels.

Solana’s performance relative to the broader crypto market reflects the network’s ability to capture emerging narratives, such as the craze for AI tokens linked to Claude Code. As long as this lasts, activity should remain high, supporting buying pressure on SOL.