If Bittensor were a megastore, Subnets would be aisles stocked with top-shelf digital commodities, accessible globally 24/7. This would offer a refreshing contrast to the numerous AI 'hypemarkets' flooding the crypto space, wouldn't it?

Subnets are self-contained economic markets incentivizing access to different forms of machine intelligence.^[1] They are like specialized "networks within a network" that are interoperable and can exchange their outputs with each other.

The number of Subnets is currently limited to 32; however, this limit will be gradually increased. Registering a subnet requires locking a set amount of $TAO, which is refunded if the subnet is deregistered. Subnets with the least emissions are periodically replaced by newly registered ones.^[2]

The protocol allows anyone to create a Subnet and become a Subnet Owner ^[2] or join an existing subnet and mine $TAO.^[3]

Since each Subnet has its own incentive mechanisms and requirements, before proceeding, explore the active subnets within the network. Identify the types of digital commodities they produce and refine, as well as the computing resources required to operate as a miner or validator within these subnets.

Consult the official documentation for more detailed information.

Resources:

"Bittensor Developer Documentation" by Opentensor Foundation

[1] https://docs.bittensor.com/glossary#subnetworks

[2] https://docs.bittensor.com/subnets/create-a-subnet

[3] https://docs.bittensor.com/subnets/checklist-for-subnet