Pavel Durov unveils decentralized Cocoon network as alternative to Google and Amazon with a focus on privacy

The project aims to build a decentralized computing network that could serve as an alternative to centralized cloud services such as Google Cloud and Amazon AWS, particularly for artificial-intelligence applications.

According to Durov, today’s AI services remain dependent on centralized providers that can access and use users’ personal data.

“Most of these services still depend on centralized AI providers. They can collect your data, use it to train models, profile you, manipulate you. Some of them are already doing it today,” he said.

Cocoon is designed as a distributed network of computing power, allowing GPU owners to rent out their resources while developers use them for AI tasks and pay in Toncoin tokens. All computations will be encrypted, ensuring full data confidentiality.

“Owners of hardware could make their GPUs available for everybody, for the network, for the developers, for Telegram, and be rewarded with TON. The best part of it: it’s completely private, completely confidential,” Durov emphasized.

The Cocoon network will operate on top of the TON blockchain, combining artificial intelligence, cryptography, and distributed computing technologies.

According to the project team, Cocoon will create a global marketplace for computing power with a transparent reward system, where prices will fluctuate dynamically based on supply and demand.

The first major user of the network will be Telegram itself. Some of the messenger’s AI functions, such as voice message processing and chatbot operations, are expected to run on Cocoon’s infrastructure.

“We decided to build a decentralized network for AI compute. One of the first ideas was to call it PAIN — Private Artificial Intelligence Network. But then I thought, it would be weird to come here and say: welcome to the world of PAIN,” he said jokingly. “So we came up with a better name — Cocoon: Confidential Compute Open Network.”

The decentralized structure of Cocoon is expected to make AI computing more accessible for startups and smaller companies that currently face high costs of cloud infrastructure. By removing dependence on major technology corporations, the network could open new opportunities for regional developers and independent projects.

At the same time, anonymous transactions and the absence of centralized oversight may attract regulatory attention. Large-scale adoption will likely require additional legal mechanisms for user verification and network compliance.

Cocoon is positioned as a step toward a new model of the internet, where privacy, transparency, and user independence come first.

Earlier, it was reported that Pavel Durov commented on the Louvre robbery in Paris, calling it “a sad sign of decline in a once great country.”