What is Golem (GLM)?

Deep Dive

1. Purpose & Value Proposition

Golem democratizes access to computing resources by creating a global, permissionless marketplace. Requestors pay GLM tokens to distribute tasks (e.g., AI training, 3D rendering) across Providers’ machines, bypassing traditional cloud services. This model aims to lower costs, increase accessibility, and foster a community-driven infrastructure layer for Web3 and beyond.

2. Technology & Architecture

Built on Ethereum, Golem uses smart contracts to manage transactions and task verification. Providers run lightweight software to contribute CPU/GPU power, while Requestors split workloads into subtasks for parallel processing. Recent upgrades include support for GPU providers and Layer 3 solutions (e.g., Golem Base DB-Chains) to enhance scalability and specialized use cases (Golem Network).

3. Tokenomics & Ecosystem

GLM serves as the medium of exchange:
- Requestors set bids in GLM to pay for compute.
- Providers earn GLM for completed tasks.
- Governance is community-driven, with token holders influencing protocol upgrades.

The Golem Ecosystem Fund accelerates projects like Arkiv, a decentralized database layer, broadening GLM’s utility beyond compute into data storage and retrieval (Arkiv Announcement).

Conclusion

Golem reimagines computational resource allocation by linking underutilized hardware to global demand via blockchain. Its open-source framework and GLM token create a circular economy for decentralized infrastructure. Can Golem’s DePIN model outcompete traditional cloud providers in cost and scalability as AI compute demand surges?