# Use SOL staking rewards to pay for AI > Not yet. Gatewayz yield-as-inference supports only ADA today, and SOL is on the coming list. The plan is to turn Solana staking rewards into the same kind of AI inference discount. Solana fits the model well: SOL stays in a stake account the holder controls and is delegated to a validator without handing over custody. **In one line:** SOL is coming, not live, and Solana's holder-controlled stake accounts are the closest match to Cardano's non-custodial delegation. You cannot use SOL staking rewards to pay for AI on Gatewayz yet: SOL is a coming asset, and the program runs on ADA only. The plan is to turn Solana's native staking rewards into the same kind of [inference discount](/yield/glossary#inference-discount-balance) ADA holders get, without taking custody. Solana suits that design, because staked SOL stays in a stake account the holder controls. **Pre-launch.** The program is built and switched off on mainnet. A working demo runs on Cardano's preprod testnet with test ADA, by invitation. Not available to US or Canadian persons. Every participant must confirm they are not a US or Canadian person before linking a wallet. ## Key takeaways - SOL is not live in yield-as-inference, and no launch date is set. - To stake natively, a holder creates a stake account and delegates it to a validator of their choice. - Only the stake account's withdraw authority can move the SOL out, so delegation does not hand over custody. - Unstaking takes several epochs, and Solana's docs say the exact duration is hard to predict. - Slashing is not active on Solana today, though it is on the roadmap. ## How does native SOL staking work? A holder creates a stake account, moves SOL into it and delegates it to a validator of their choice. Each stake account is controlled by two keys held by the holder, a stake authority and a withdraw authority, and only the withdraw authority can move the lamports out. As long as the holder keeps that key, the validator cannot move the SOL. That is the same [non-custodial](/yield/glossary#non-custodial) property Cardano [delegation](/yield/glossary#delegation) has, with one extra account in between. Rewards are calculated per epoch on the effective (active) stake and become available after the epoch ends. Solana publishes no official epoch length, so we do not state one. ## How long does it take to unstake SOL? Several epochs, and Solana's own docs say the exact duration is hard to predict. Deactivation moves a fraction of stake at each epoch boundary, under a network-wide cap, so how long yours takes depends on how much stake is deactivating at the same time. The minimum is the cluster's minimum delegation amount; the docs we checked give no number. Slashing is not active: Solana's docs say there is no in-protocol implementation today, though it is on the roadmap. ## How does SOL staking compare with ADA delegation? Both keep custody with the holder. The differences are the extra stake account and the unstaking wait. | | SOL (native) | ADA (Cardano delegation) | | --- | --- | --- | | Custody | Stake account controlled by the holder's stake and withdraw authorities | Stays in your wallet; delegation moves nothing | | Lock-up / unbonding | Deactivation over several epochs, hard to predict | None; spend or switch pools at any time | | Minimum | A cluster minimum delegation; no number in the docs we checked | None in the sources we checked; a one-time 2 ADA stake address deposit, refunded on deregistration | | Slashing | Not active today; on the roadmap | None | | Reward cadence | Per epoch, available after the epoch ends | Every 5-day [epoch](/yield/glossary#epoch); first rewards about 15 to 20 days after delegating | For the general trade-off, read [Non-custodial vs custodial staking](/yield/learn/non-custodial-vs-custodial-staking). ## What would Gatewayz need to support SOL? A validator for holders to delegate to, a way to link a stake account to a Gatewayz account, and a way for Gatewayz to receive the rewards it converts. On Cardano, linking is a signed message and the rewards arrive as the pool's fees; Solana would need its own version of both. Custody would not need to change. Because the holder keeps the withdraw authority, the SOL would stay under the holder's keys, as ADA does. The open points are operational: the unpredictable deactivation time means leaving would not be instant, and if Solana activates slashing, this page and the [Risks](/yield/risks) page would have to explain it before launch. Accounting would follow the [ADA model](/yield/how-it-works): discount calculated only from rewards Gatewayz has actually received, never in advance. ## What can I use today? ADA. It is the one asset the program supports: you delegate from your own wallet, your ADA never moves, and rewards become an inference discount. The program is pre-launch, with a working demo on Cardano's preprod testnet by invitation, and is not available to US or Canadian persons. See [ADA](/yield/assets/ada) and [all assets](/yield/assets). ## Join the SOL waitlist Waitlist sign-ups tell us which coming asset holders want next. Join the SOL waitlist at https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/assets/sol. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I use SOL staking rewards to pay for AI on Gatewayz today? No. SOL is a coming asset and no launch date is set. Today the program supports only ADA, and it is pre-launch. ### Does staking SOL mean giving up custody? Not with native staking. Your SOL sits in a stake account, and only its withdraw authority can move the lamports out. If you keep that key, the validator you delegate to cannot move your SOL. ### How long does it take to unstake SOL? Several epochs. Deactivation releases a fraction of stake at each epoch boundary under a network-wide cap, and Solana's docs say the exact duration is hard to predict. ### Can staked SOL be slashed? Not today. Solana's docs say there is no in-protocol implementation of slashing currently, though it is on the roadmap. ### Is there a minimum amount of SOL to stake? Yes, a stake account must meet the cluster's minimum delegation amount, but the Solana docs we checked do not give a number. ## Sources - [solana.com: Staking](https://solana.com/docs/references/staking), as of 2026-10-27 - [solana.com: Stake accounts](https://solana.com/docs/references/staking/stake-accounts), as of 2026-10-27 - [Anza: Stake delegation and rewards](https://docs.anza.xyz/consensus/stake-delegation-and-rewards), as of 2026-10-27 - [Cardano.org: Stake your ada on Cardano](https://cardano.org/stake-pool-delegation/), as of 2026-10-27 - [Cardano.org Glossary: Stake Address Deposit](https://cardano.org/glossary/stake-address-deposit/), as of 2026-10-27 - [Cardano Docs: Cardano node (Slots and epochs)](https://docs.cardano.org/about-cardano/learn/cardano-node), as of 2026-10-27 ## Related - [Which crypto assets can pay for AI inference?](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/assets) - [Stake ADA without giving it up, and pay for AI with the rewards](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/assets/ada) - [Non-custodial vs custodial staking](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/learn/non-custodial-vs-custodial-staking) - [The risks of ADA delegation with Gatewayz](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/risks) --- Discounts are a share of staking rewards Gatewayz actually received, can change at any time, and are not a guaranteed return. Not available to US or Canadian persons. Every participant must confirm they are not a US or Canadian person before linking a wallet. Not investment, legal or tax advice. Figures as of 2026-10-27. Updated 2026-10-27. Canonical page: https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/assets/sol