Acurast provides a decentralized compute network that leverages idle smartphone CPUs, using hardware‑rooted Trusted Execution Environments to run confidential workloads. Developers access affordable, scalable compute via permissionless APIs, while device owners earn tokens for contributing secure processing power.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Traditional cloud services rely on centralized data centers, leading to high costs, limited scalability, and concerns over data privacy and control. Developers and enterprises lack affordable, trustless compute resources that can guarantee confidentiality without depending on large providers.
Solution
Acurast creates a decentralized compute network by harnessing spare processing power from billions of smartphones worldwide. Each device’s built‑in Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and hardware security module (HSM) provide verifiable, confidential execution of workloads. Developers access this network through APIs and SDKs, receiving permissionless, affordable compute that scales with the global pool of mobile devices. Device owners install the Acurast Processor app, which securely registers their phone as a compute node and rewards them with cACU tokens for contributed resources. The network also supports “staked compute,” where token holders delegate stakes to providers, reinforcing reliability and incentivizing continuous uptime.
Target Audience
Primary customers are developers and enterprises seeking confidential, cost‑effective compute, as well as smartphone owners who want to monetize idle device resources.
Features
- Utilizes idle smartphone CPUs, turning unused device capacity into a global compute pool.
- Hardware‑rooted security via TEEs and HSMs ensures confidential execution and verifiable device authenticity.
- Permissionless API access for developers to deploy workloads in environments such as JavaScript V8, Node.js, and upcoming Python, PyTorch, and TensorFlow runtimes.
- Dual provider models: Acurast Lite (app‑only) and Acurast Core (full‑time dedicated device) for flexible participation.
- Staked compute mechanism that aligns token incentives with compute availability, allowing delegators to earn rewards alongside providers.
- Integrated reward system (cACU tokens and MIST points) that compensates providers for uptime and compute usage.
- Open‑source protocol and documentation, with support for use cases including confidential AI, decentralized oracles, VPN services, and zkProof generation.