Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov has officially launched Cocoon decentralized AI network built on The Open Network (TON) blockchain. Cocoon offers a privacy-first AI computing platform that connects GPU owners with developers who need powerful, confidential AI processing. The network aims to disrupt the dominance of centralized cloud providers like Amazon and Microsoft by ensuring encrypted AI tasks and user data remain private.
What Is Cocoon?
Cocoon is a decentralized confidential computing network that operates on the TON blockchain. It empowers GPU owners worldwide to rent out their processing power to run AI inference tasks while earning Toncoin (TON)—the network’s native cryptocurrency. By routing AI workloads through trusted execution environments (TEEs), Cocoon keeps prompts and data encrypted throughout processing, preventing exposure even to GPU providers.
Key highlights include:
- Combines blockchain, cryptography, and distributed computing to democratize AI infrastructure.
- Tackles critical issues like privacy concerns and high costs linked to centralized AI service providers.
- Utilizes a transparent marketplace where GPU resources are rented and compensated dynamically.
- Telegram is the first major user, integrating Cocoon to power AI features such as message summarization and chatbots.
- GPU owners can earn rewards estimated between $20 to $60 monthly, depending on hardware performance.
Why Cocoon Matters Now
As demand for AI assistance grows globally, so do concerns about data privacy and monopolistic control by tech giants. Centralized providers often collect user data to train AI models, raising ethical and security red flags. Cocoon offers:
- User sovereignty: End-to-end encryption ensures data remains confidential and inaccessible outside the user’s control.
- Cost reduction: By eliminating costly intermediaries, it lowers the barrier to access AI computing power.
- Decentralization: Spreads computing across global contributors, boosting censorship resistance and resilience.
- Synergy with Telegram: With over 1.1 billion active users, Telegram forms a ready ecosystem for mass adoption.
Current Status and Outlook
Launched in late November 2025 at the Blockchain Life 2025 conference in Dubai, Cocoon has started processing real AI requests with GPU providers already earning Toncoin rewards. The project’s success depends on continued growth in GPU supply, developer adoption, and competition against centralized cloud services.
Looking ahead, Cocoon represents a bold step toward redefining AI infrastructure aligned with Web3 principles — privacy, decentralization, and user empowerment. Durov’s commitment to privacy and decentralization seen in Telegram is now extending into the AI domain, signaling a shift away from centralized platforms.
