Illia Polosukhin is a notable figure in the realms of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, widely recognized as the co-founder of NEAR Protocol. Born in Ukraine, Polosukhin has distinguished himself as a computer scientist and entrepreneur. He gained prominence through his work on the foundational AI paper “Attention Is All You Need,” which played a critical role in the development of transformer models. He further cemented his reputation in the blockchain sector by co-founding NEAR Protocol, a scalable blockchain designed to provide decentralized application development platforms. Recently, Illia has been associated with PhnyX Lab, a groundbreaking AI startup focused on integrating generative AI solutions in life sciences.
In the past couple of years, Illia Polosukhin has been involved in several significant initiatives and events:
August 2025: PhnyX Lab, a startup specializing in generative AI for the life sciences industry, completed a $4 million funding round. This round was notable for the participation of Illia Polosukhin, underlining his active role in AI advancements beyond his blockchain endeavors. The funds are intended to expand PhnyX Lab's AI solutions in streamlining workflows in the pharmaceutical sector, with their platform Cheiron being well received (PR Newswire).
March 2025: At the NVIDIA GTC AI Conference, Illia presented new research from NEAR AI that facilitates confidential, decentralized AI computation, emphasizing NEAR's integration of blockchain with AI technologies (NEAR Protocol).
December 2024: PhnyX Lab launched Cheiron, an AI platform gaining traction among large pharmaceutical companies in Korea. Illia moderated a panel discussion on enterprise AI at PhnyX Lab's event in Seoul (SK Networks).
November 2023: Illia became CEO of the NEAR Foundation, tasked with guiding NEAR's growth as an open web ecosystem, emphasizing blockchain's role in decentralized applications and integration with AI (Crypto News Flash).
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Illia Polosukhin |
| Born | Ukraine |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Occupation | Computer Scientist, Entrepreneur |
| Known For | Co-founder of NEAR Protocol, Co-author of "Attention Is All You Need" |
| Education | Background in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science |
Illia Polosukhin was born in Ukraine, where he developed an early interest in technology and mathematics. He pursued education in electrical engineering and computer science, equipping himself with foundational knowledge that would later feature prominently in his professional work. The collegiate environment fostered Illia's interest in the intersection of hardware and software, motivating him to solve complex problems in innovative ways.
During these formative years, Polosukhin was influenced by emerging theories in AI and machine learning, catalyzing his decision to delve into AI research. His academic pursuits were characterized by hands-on experiments and projects that dealt with AI algorithms and applications, laying the groundwork for his future contributions to the AI field, notably as part of the teams that developed seminal AI models like Transformers.
Illia Polosukhin's career highlights include significant contributions to both AI and blockchain technology:
Google AI Research: Before his ventures into blockchain, Illia worked at Google, where he contributed to AI projects, notably co-authoring "Attention Is All You Need," a paper that introduced the Transformer architecture, foundational to models like GPT, BERT.
NEAR Protocol:
PhnyX Lab:
Currently, Illia Polosukhin is steering NEAR Protocol towards integrating AI solutions with blockchain, making it a pioneering platform for decentralized applications. His work with PhnyX Lab also aims to revolutionize pharmaceutical industry processes through AI-driven solutions.
His efforts emphasize a decentralized approach to computing, aiming to empower users and companies by breaking down traditional barriers to AI access. This approach not only broadens the application of AI but also ensures it is secure and transparent, aligning with blockchain's decentralizing ethos.
Illia Polosukhin has successfully carved a niche at the crossroads of AI and blockchain technology. His innovations, from AI research to the development of NEAR Protocol, underscore a career dedicated to making cutting-edge technology more accessible and equitable. By spearheading projects like PhnyX Lab, Polosukhin continues to explore how sophisticated AI solutions can be democratized and effectively integrated into various industries. His contributions continue to set the stage for advancements in decentralization, promising to shape the future of technology for years to come.