Chainlink price surged 2.7% to $23.5 following a strategic AI partnership with Aethir, though declining volumes suggest potential consolidation ahead.
Chainlink LINK $17.32 24h volatility: 0.7% Market cap: $12.06 B Vol. 24h: $579.49 M price moved above $23.5, trading up 2.7% on Tuesday, September 16. Capital rotation ahead of the expected US Fed rate cut saw LINK outperform Etherevum ETH $3 874 24h volatility: 1.0% Market cap: $467.17 B Vol. 24h: $27.40 B and Tron TRX $0.30 24h volatility: 0.5% Market cap: $28.07 B Vol. 24h: $488.22 M intraday. The move also coincided with a major strategic partnership announcement with Aethir, likely to further boost sentiment around Chainlink.
On Tuesday, Chainlink confirmed via X that it has joined AethirCloud’s AI Unbundled Alliance, an industry-wide initiative for advancing Web3 AI infrastructure.
Chainlink has joined @AethirCloud’s AI Unbundled Alliance, an industry-wide initiative for advancing Web3 AI infrastructure.https://t.co/wxFrwx8rBL
Chainlink’s oracle platform and the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE) is enabling developers to build advanced AI-powered Web3… pic.twitter.com/bfGFeKC6Lz
— Chainlink (@chainlink) September 16, 2025
By entering this alliance, Chainlink extends its role as the industry-standard oracle platform, enabling the creation of verifiable workflows across blockchains and traditional systems.
As part of the partnership, Chainlink Labs will sponsor hackathon bounties and provide targeted grants for participants in the AI Unbundled program.
Builders in the alliance will also gain prioritized early access to the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE), a decentralized execution layer for creating workflows across any blockchain or external system.
“We’re excited to join Aethir’s AI Unbundled Alliance to empower developers with industry-standard infrastructure while accelerating the creation of reliable, scalable, and interoperable AI-powered Web3 apps. The Chainlink Runtime Environment delivers secure, verifiable orchestration capabilities for AI agents operating across both onchain and offchain systems,” Ash Nathan, Strategic Innovations Lead, Chainlink Labs, said.
Chainlink’s bet on AI also aligns with the Ethereum Foundation’s recent move to launch a dAI Team focusing on building decentralized blockchain infrastructure to bridge blockchain and AI systems.
Chainlink Price Forecast: Can Bulls Break $25 Resistance?
Chainlink’s technical setup remains constructive but faces a significant challenge at the $25 level. The price currently trades around $23.7, holding above the $23.6 Keltner Channel midline.
Chainlink (LINK) Price Forecast | TradingView
The MACD indicator sits nearly flat, with the MACD line at 0.37 and signal line at 0.41, reflecting indecision. A bullish crossover would strengthen the case for a retest of the $25 barrier. Conversely, failure to generate increased market volumes could see LINK drift back toward the $23.1 lower-band support.
A close above $25 would unlock upside potential toward $26.1 resistance. However, the Volume Delta shows a net negative reading of –317,000, indicating sellers remain active, challenging bullish momentum despite recent gains.
Pepe Node Presale Gains Momentum as Chainlink Expands AI Narrative
While Chainlink’s AI bets sparked a price rebound on Tuesday, community-driven projects such as Pepe Node are also drawing heightened investor attention. Pepe Node allows users to build virtual meme coin mining rigs, combine nodes for enhanced rewards, and earn tokenized bonuses.
Pepe Node Presale
Currently priced at $0.0010, Pepe Node’s presale has already raised more than $1.19 million of its $1.3 million target. With less than two days to the next price tier, interested participants can still join through the official Pepe Node site while it currently trades at $0.0010.
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