What is ACU? How Acurast is Redefining Compute with Billions of Smartphones
Acurast (ACU) is transforming the way the world computes by leveraging billions of idle smartphones instead of relying on traditional centralized data centers. Its verifiable, scalable, and confidential compute network allows users to run secure applications and AI workloads at scale, without compromising speed or privacy.
With over 158,000 compute units already onboarded to its incentivized testnet, Acurast has established itself as a decentralized, verifiable compute network, powering mission-critical tasks that demand high security and AI capabilities.
More than just another DePIN protocol, Acurast turns everyday devices into a global compute network, aligning developers, device providers, and end-users through its ACU token economy. From staking and governance participation to rewards for contributing compute, the platform fosters a community-first, decentralized approach that is redefining the future of compute.
The token is now officially live for purchase in XT Pre-Market’s ACU section—join now and be part of it!
TL; DR for Busy Readers
- Acurast (ACU) turns billions of idle smartphones into a decentralized, verifiable compute network.
- Users earn ACU tokens by contributing compute, staking, and participating in governance.
- The network powers secure, scalable applications and AI workloads without traditional data centers.
- With community-first tokenomics, Acurast fosters a decentralized compute economy and ecosystem growth.
What is Acurast(ACU)?
Acurast is redefining compute by utilizing billions of smartphones – no data centers required. This verifiable, scalable, and confidential compute network enables users to run secure applications on decentralized infrastructure at scale—without compromising speed or privacy.
Acurast has already onboarded 158,139+ compute units worldwide on its incentivized testnet making it the most decentralized verifiable compute network available today. This impressive amount of compute already powers mission critical workloads with high-security and AI requirements.
This isn’t just another DePIN protocol — it’s a game-changer that’s redefining how the world computes.
And it’s this innovative capability that has drawn significant investor interest. On November 13, Acurast announced it had raised $11 million from investors including Ethereum and Polkadot co-founder Gavin Wood, MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe, and GlueNet founder Ogle, among others.
How ACU Works: Core Mechanisms Explained
Core Infrastructure: Compute, Decentralization, and DePIN
At the heart of Acurast is the concept of “Compute” — the processing power required to run applications, AI models, or handle data. Unlike traditional cloud services that rely on centralized data centers from providers like AWS or Google Cloud, Acurast leverages idle smartphones as computing nodes, effectively turning anyone’s device into a mini data center. This approach reduces dependency on centralized infrastructure and eliminates single points of failure. When the network consists of thousands of distributed smartphones, no single node can control the network. This model is defined as a DePIN, where infrastructure is provided by individuals rather than corporations. Through this “Compute → Decentralization → DePIN” chain, Acurast transforms expensive, centralized cloud resources into an open, community-driven platform.
How Phones Join the Network and the Reliability + Rewards Mechanism
In Acurast, any smartphone can become a “Processor” node. Once a device joins, it executes tasks in the background using a secure hardware environment (Trusted Execution Environment, TEE). This ensures task execution is secure and private, while the device owner’s personal data remains protected. Acurast uses a “Benchmark” system to evaluate each device’s capability, considering CPU, RAM, storage, and overall performance. Devices with higher benchmark scores can handle larger or more tasks, earning greater rewards. In addition, a “Heartbeat” mechanism requires devices to send a status signal roughly every 30 minutes. If a device fails to send heartbeats consistently, it may be considered offline or unreliable, which reduces task assignments and rewards.
Token Mechanics, Staking, and Network Incentives
Acurast’s economic system is driven by its native token ACU (test token cACU is used before the mainnet launch). Contributors providing computing power and running nodes earn cACU, which will convert to ACU upon mainnet launch. The token functions not only as a reward but also as a means to maintain network trust, secure operations, and enable community governance. Users can “stake” ACU — locking a certain amount as a commitment to provide reliable computing resources. Stable, consistent nodes earn additional rewards, while unreliable or offline nodes risk losing part of their stake. This ensures the network remains healthy while discouraging untrustworthy behavior. After the Token Generation Event (TGE) and mainnet launch, ACU will also serve as a payment method for computing services, support staking, enable governance participation, and turn device providers into true network participants.
ACU Tokenomics: Utility, Rewards, and Value
Acurast is the decentralized compute network designed to power the emerging decentralized compute economy by aligning developers, compute providers, and end-users around shared incentives.
At the heart of Acurast is the ACU token and economic model, fueling a secure, scalable, and decentralized compute ecosystem while incentivizing active collaboration and sustainable growth.
Also, with tokenomics, the focus is on a sustainable community-first approach.
Key Highlights
- Initial Supply at TGE: 1,000,000,000 ACU
- Adaptive inflation: between 1% and 5% annual inflation
- Only 6.5% allocated to early backers — while important for funding and supporting development all the way to mainnet, this allocation was kept very low in order to facilitate a fair launch of the token.
- Nearly 70% of tokens are allocated to the community or community-supporting purposes (Community Treasury, TGE Community Activation, Operational Funds, Liquidity Provision)
- Team and Advisors have the longest lock-ups, aligning them with the long-term mission of the project.
By capping early backers at just 6.5% and allocating the majority of tokens to the community and community-supporting initiatives, the token distribution puts the ecosystem interests first, acknowledges early contributions to the broader crypto ecosystem, and fosters the creation of services and products on top of Acurast — ultimately supporting the project’s roadmap and long-term objectives. Moving the needle again to decentralization, because decentralized compute is not for the few but for the many.
Genesis Token Allocation
Allocation Categories
Early Backers: A small, diverse group providing initial funding to ensure the protocol reaches mainnet maturity without heavy institutional influence.
Team and Advisors: Tokens for the core contributors of the protocol, encompassing employees, advisors, founders and future key team members, with the longest lock-up; this allocation is structured to align for long-term incentives.
TGE Community Activation: Tokens from the participation of the launchpad token launch, canary token conversions, airdrops and additional broader activation of the community on TGE.
Community Treasury: With decentralization in mind from the first day, a large part of the tokens are allocated towards the community treasury, allowing ACU holders to determine through on-chain governance the future development of the protocol and support significant contributions via governance proposals.
Operational Funds: Strategic funds with the mandate to foster protocol acceleration and growth, governed by the Acurast Association council.
Liquidity Provision: This allocation is used exclusively to ensure enough liquidity of the Acurast Token on centralized and decentralized exchanges.
Token Allocations
| Category | Supply | Token Amount | Available at TGE | Linear Vesting |
| Early Backers | 6.50% | 65,000,000 | 0% | 24 months |
| Team and Advisors | 24% | 240,000,000 | 0% | 36 months |
| Community Activation | 24% | 240,000,000 | 100% | 0 months |
| Community Treasury | 24% | 240,000,000 | 100% | 0 months |
| Operational Funds | 11.50% | 115,000,000 | 0% | 24 months |
| Liquidity Provision | 10% | 100,000,000 | 100% | 0 months |
Only tokens allocated to the community and community support will unlock at TGE. All other allocations are locked for at least 24 months after TGE and are released gradually over that period.
Token Utility
Network Fees: The Acurast network, a Proof of Stake blockchain, acts as an orchestrator and settlement layer for the decentralized compute economy. To interact with the Acurast network, ACU is required for transaction fees.
Staking: While compute is secured by design, an additional layer of economic security is added to the network by staking through Processors. Stakers receive fees from the network as rewards for providing economic security to the network. Every ACU holder can participate in staking without having to run their own Processor through Delegation.
Settlement: ACU acts as a unified settlement token for the system to assign and measure reputation and quality of service of the provided compute. A 30% burn is applied on every settlement transaction to avoid reputation score tampering. This mechanism is abstracted from the end user, making payment for decentralized compute on Acurast possible in any token.
Governance: Holders of ACU can engage in protocol governance by voting on a variety of proposals brought forward by the community, guiding the development of the protocol and its components, and ensuring true decentralization and future-proof evolution by design.
Inflation
Inflation is what makes the Acurast process sustainable by rewarding active participation in the protocol and creating incentives to be run as a decentralized protocol indefinitely. The protocol sets inflation between 1% and 5% annually, depending on various on-chain metrics, and can be further adapted through governance votes.
How to Buy $ACU｜Ways to Participate
The token is now officially available for purchase in the ACU section of XT Pre-Market. This offers early access for users who want to participate in the network before the mainnet launch. By joining the pre-market, participants can acquire $ACU and begin engaging with the growing Acurast ecosystem, while enjoying the opportunity to be part of the network’s foundational community.
Beyond purchasing $ACU, users can explore various ways to participate in the Acurast ecosystem. From contributing computing power via devices to staking ACU for network incentives, the platform offers multiple channels to earn rewards and engage with the community. Keeping an eye on ecosystem updates allows users to discover emerging opportunities, including governance participation, task execution, and future integrations within the decentralized network.
ACU Token’s Competitive Edge
Acurast’s competitive advantage lies in its ability to combine decentralized infrastructure, verifiable compute, and a community-first token economy. Unlike traditional cloud services, Acurast harnesses billions of idle smartphones to create a secure, scalable, and cost-efficient compute network without relying on centralized data centers.
The ACU token strengthens this ecosystem by aligning incentives across developers, compute providers, and end-users. Through staking, task rewards, and governance participation, ACU encourages sustained engagement and reliability while safeguarding the network’s integrity. The tokenomics prioritize community involvement, with nearly 70% of tokens allocated to community-focused initiatives and long-term ecosystem growth, ensuring that decentralization is not just theoretical but actively enforced. Combined with adaptive inflation, secure settlement mechanisms, and reputation-based rewards, ACU positions itself as a robust utility and governance token that fuels a real-world decentralized compute economy — creating a network effect where more participants generate more compute, more innovation, and ultimately more value across the ecosystem.
Key Risks and Challenges of the ACU Token
While ACU offers a unique opportunity to participate in a decentralized compute ecosystem, potential participants should be aware of certain risks. As a native token of an emerging network, ACU’s value and utility depend on the adoption and growth of Acurast. Market volatility, regulatory changes, or delays in network milestones could influence token performance.
Operationally, reliance on distributed devices introduces considerations such as device availability, performance variability, and user participation levels, which can affect overall compute reliability. While staking and governance mechanisms promote security and decentralization, participants should evaluate their risk tolerance before committing tokens.
As an early-stage project, the ACU ecosystem continues to evolve. Users are encouraged to stay informed about protocol updates, tokenomics adjustments, and new opportunities to make informed decisions within the network.
ACU’s Outlook: Scaling Decentralized Compute
Major milestones in the 2025 roadmap include:
- Genesis Mainnet Launch, TGE (Q4 2025).
- Governance Activation for Decentralized Community Involvement.
- Codename Cargo (Compute Containers) for modularized workloads, making serverless deployments even easier to deploy and scale.
- Codename Cray (Compute Clusters) cluster of hundreds of devices enabling high-performance compute tasks capable of running even the largest LLMs available. Effectively mitigating the vertical compute limitation arising from working with phones.
- Furthermore, the future roadmap includes:
- Codename Bazaar (Compute Economy), creating an active decentralized compute economy for developers to distribute entire software solutions seamlessly without limitations.
- Codename Rice (Compute Futures), innovating long-term decentralized compute economic strategies. Allowing compute providers to leverage their infrastructure and support their future scaling.
Acurast’s growth strategy in 2025 is about activating a network effect at scale, where more phones bring more compute, more compute brings more builders, and more builders bring more value into the ecosystem. It’s a positive-sum loop powered by real-world demand, seamless integrations, and decentralized ownership, creating a compute marketplace flywheel.
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