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Golem Network

Golem Network (GLM) — a reference card for a crypto project: what the product does and how verifiable the project’s key claims are; also — alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis (DecAI Fit).

Golem Network — a P2P network and marketplace for computing resources (a “decentralized supercomputer”), where requestors rent computation from providers. The GLM token (ERC‑20) is used as the payment currency for resources (the documentation also describes the legacy GNT token and the GNT→GLM migration).

Disclaimer

Important: this page is a reference overview of the project. Within DecAIHub, we separately record a verification based on open sources within the AI thesis (what is real AI/onchain/why a token, and which sources this is based on).
This is not financial advice and not a recommendation to buy/sell/hold any asset. We do not assess price, returns, or entry/exit timing.
Conclusions are based on publicly available materials found as of the verification date. The absence of confirmation does not imply the absence of the technology.

TL;DR (for readers who are not into AI)

  • What it is: a “requestor ↔ provider” compute marketplace: buying/selling compute resources and executing tasks in a P2P network.
  • Who it’s for: teams/developers who need additional computation; owners of hardware/servers who want to rent out compute.
  • Why onchain/token: GLM is the payment currency for renting resources; onchain (Ethereum/L2) is used mainly as the settlement layer for token transfers.
  • What you can actually touch (Tier‑1): the “AI on Golem Network” guide (how to run AI models on providers): https://docs.golem.network/docs/creators/javascript/tutorials/AI-on-golem-network

How it works (very briefly)

  1. The user does: a requestor publishes a task and rents resources; a provider runs a node and supplies resources.
  2. The system does: selects a provider and negotiates the terms; the provider performs the compute and accounts for usage.
  3. The user gets: the requestor — the execution result; the provider — payment.
  4. Where the blockchain is: payments are made in GLM via Ethereum Mainnet or an L2 (the documentation recommends Polygon to reduce fees).
  5. Token role: GLM is the means of payment and settlement for completed computations.

Quick links: AI thesis fit

Project passport

Field Value
Project name Golem Network
Also known as (aliases) Golem, GLM, GNT (legacy)
Logo (logo) ../assets/golem_logo.svg
Token symbol (ticker) GLM
Category AI/Compute | Infra
Primary chain (chain) Ethereum
Type EVM
Network status mainnet
Consensus (consensus) PoS (Ethereum)
Launch date (launch_date) 2016-11-11
Project status (status) active
Token (standard) ERC-20
Token contract 0x7DD9c5Cba05E151C895FDe1CF355C9A1D5DA6429
Token model (token_type) utility (payments)
Max supply 1000000000 (GLM cap; legacy GNT cap 1B)
Issuance fixed (cap)
Tokenomics (tokenomics, brief) GLM pays for compute; GNT→GLM migration 1:1; L2 (Polygon) is recommended for payments
Governance company/foundation, details —
Admins/keys —
Audit yes
Bug bounty —
Team (team) —
Funding (investors/funding) crowdfunding (whitepaper), details —
AI component (ai_component) compute marketplace for AI/ML workloads
Use‑case (use_case) decentralized compute marketplace
DecAI Fit — AI thesis fit 3/6 — medium alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis
DecAI Fit component summary 1 / 1 / 1 / 3
Last verified 2026-02-10

General project overview

Golem is described as a decentralized marketplace for computing resources: requestors rent CPU/time/capacity from providers to execute tasks. In the whitepaper (2016), the project is positioned as a “decentralized supercomputer” and a compute marketplace that can make computation cheaper and make complex tasks more accessible (including scientific computation and machine learning as applicability cases). In the current docs, the focus is on the practical “pay‑as‑you‑go” model and paying for resources in GLM.

Features/modules

  • P2P compute market: providers set their price/resources, requestors rent them.
  • Payments (GLM): the settlement layer in GLM, including the use of an L2 (Polygon) to optimize fees.
  • Developer tools: SDK/agents (Yagna and the API) for integrating tasks and payment.

Typical scenarios

  • Scenario 1: a requestor runs a compute task → receives the result → pays the provider for usage in GLM (pay‑as‑you‑go).
  • Scenario 2: a provider supplies resources → receives GLM for completed tasks.
  • Scenario 3: a developer integrates their workload via the Golem API/tools → monetizes compute consumption.

Getting started (wallet/network)

  • What you need: run a node/agent following the Golem guides and have GLM for payments (or become a provider to earn GLM).
  • Network/chain: GLM payments are supported on Ethereum Mainnet and via an L2; the docs recommend Polygon for payments.
  • Fees: fees depend on the selected network (Ethereum or an L2).

Architecture/tech (non‑AI)

  • Components: requestor agent, provider agent, payment driver and the GLM payment infrastructure; SDK/API (Yagna) and repositories.
  • Participant roles: requestors, providers, application/task developers, the team/contributors.
  • Where logic runs: compute is executed offchain on providers’ machines; payment and GLM ownership — onchain (Ethereum/L2).
  • Dependencies: Ethereum + L2 (Polygon) for payments, GitHub repositories and tooling.

Token/economics (expanded, no forecasts)

  • Token utility: GLM is the payment currency for compute resources (docs).
  • Protocol necessity drivers: requestors pay GLM to providers; providers receive GLM for services; the docs describe “pay‑as‑you‑go” payment schemes.
  • Who pays fees: the requestor pays network fees for onchain GLM transactions (in the selected network).
  • Where fees go: network fees (Ethereum/L2) go to the validators of the respective network.
  • Issuance: the whitepaper records the supply limit (GNT) and the absence of minting after the crowdfunding; the docs describe the GLM cap supply = the GNT cap supply (1B).
  • Incentive mechanisms: direct payments to providers; additional security schemes/deposits are mentioned as options of the transaction framework (whitepaper).
  • Distribution: the whitepaper gives the initial GNT distribution and the crowdfunding terms; the GNT→GLM migration 1:1 is described in the docs.
  • Treasury: —.

Governance

  • Who makes decisions: — (not recorded by Tier‑1 as a formal governance process).
  • How protocol parameters change: via client/SDK updates and the development of protocol components.
  • Where decisions are discussed: the Golem GitHub organization/repositories.
  • Keys/multisig: —.

Security and incidents

  • Audits: yes (Trail of Bits summary; see links_*).
  • Bug bounty: —.
  • Incidents: —.
  • Threat model: risks of executing untrusted code on providers (sandbox/whitelist), payment/fee risks and requestor failures; token supply/migration risks.

Project status and timeline

  • Current status: active.
  • Key releases/milestones: whitepaper (2016); the GNT→GLM migration is described in the docs as having started at the “end of 2020”.
  • Roadmap: see links_* (GitHub Projects).

Ecosystem/integrations

  • Integrations: Ethereum/L2 wallets for GLM; SDK/agents; exchanges/DEXes for GLM liquidity.
  • Partners: —.
  • Where it’s actually used: requestor→provider compute payments in GLM; the use of an L2 to optimize fees.

AI component of the project

  • What is real AI here? The whitepaper mentions applicability to machine learning use cases (as scenarios that become more accessible as the cost of computation decreases), but there is no Tier‑1 evidence of a “built-in AI model” in the protocol.
  • What is truly onchain? The GLM ERC‑20 token and payments within the selected network (Ethereum/L2).
  • Why is a token needed? GLM is used as the payment currency for compute resources (requestor→provider).
  • Red flags (based on the information found): AI‑washing — medium risk (AI as a use‑case, not an AI protocol); onchain‑washing — medium risk (core compute is offchain); token‑washing — low risk (the “pay for compute” utility is described in Tier‑1).

DecAI Fit component summary

  • DecAI Fit: 3/6 — medium alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis
Component Level Score
AI reality medium 1
Onchain necessity low 1
Token necessity low 1
Evidence Tier‑1 present 3
Details

AI reality

AI_0 — AI intent (Tier‑1 roadmap) (1/0)

  • AI_0 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): There are signs of AI reality per Tier‑1 (see AI_1..AI_4), so the AI_0 flag (intent‑only) does not apply.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — see Evidence/links in AI_1..AI_4.
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): AI_0=1 is admissible only when AI_1..AI_4=0; here ai_score without AI_0 = 1.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_1 — what the AI does (1/0)

  • AI_1 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): No Tier‑1 confirmation of an AI model/AI logic in the Golem protocol was found.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — —
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Golem is a compute market; AI is mentioned as a use‑case.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_2 — demos/examples (1/0)

  • AI_2 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): The Tier‑1 documentation contains reproducible guides/examples of running AI models (including LLMs and Stable Diffusion) on Golem providers.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.golem.network/docs/creators/javascript/tutorials/AI-on-golem-network ; https://docs.golem.network/docs/creators/golem-workers/sd-example
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 provides step-by-step instructions (“how‑to”), sufficient as a demo artifact of using an AI workload on the network.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_3 — metrics/quality (1/0)

  • AI_3 (decision): 0
  • Metrics: —
  • Context (version/date/how measured): —
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — —
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): there are no AI metrics/benchmarks.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_4 — tech description/architecture/versions (1/0)

  • AI_4 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): no technical description of an AI model/versions was found.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — —
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the project is compute infrastructure.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Onchain necessity

OC_1 — contracts/addresses/chain (1/0)

  • OC_1 (decision): 1
  • Chain: Ethereum mainnet (ERC‑20 GLM; payments are also described via an L2).
  • Addresses/identifiers: GLM contract 0x7DD9c5Cba05E151C895FDe1CF355C9A1D5DA6429.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/payments ; https://etherscan.io/token/0x7DD9c5Cba05E151C895FDe1CF355C9A1D5DA6429
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the docs record the GLM token as the payment token, Etherscan confirms the contract.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

OC_2 — onchain beyond just a token (1/0)

  • OC_2 (decision): 0
  • What useful logic is onchain: the main “product” is the execution of computations offchain; onchain is used as the token settlement layer.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/payments
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the Tier‑1 docs describe onchain primarily as the GLM payment layer.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

OC_3 — onchain is critical (1/0)

  • OC_3 (decision): 0
  • “Replace the blockchain” test: without the blockchain, the public verifiability of GLM ownership/payments is lost, but the compute part can exist as a P2P service with an alternative settlement layer.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://golem.network/doc/Golemwhitepaper.pdf
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): in the whitepaper, the blockchain is described as the transaction system, not as the only form of executing compute.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Token necessity

TK_0 — no token (1/0)

  • TK_0 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): the system uses the GLM token (ERC‑20).
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/overview/golem-token
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the docs explicitly define GLM.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_1..TK_4 (1/0)

TK_1 — payment for the service (1/0)

  • TK_1 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): requestors pay GLM to providers for renting compute resources.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/overview/golem-token ; https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/payments
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the Tier‑1 docs describe GLM as the currency and the payment flow.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_2 — incentives/collateral/penalties (1/0)

  • TK_2 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): GLM staking/slashing as the base security of the network is not described in the Tier‑1 docs as a mandatory mechanism.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — —
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the model is payment‑for‑compute; collateral/escrow are described as possible elements of the transaction framework (whitepaper), but without a “must‑have” mechanic.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_3 — governance (1/0)

  • TK_3 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): token‑based governance for GLM/GNT is not recorded in the Tier‑1 docs.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — —
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): the payment function is described; governance is not detailed.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_4 — token is replaceable (1/0)

  • TK_4 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): the replaceability of GLM with an alternative asset is not established per Tier‑1.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — —
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): to set 1, a Tier‑1 argument about full replaceability without loss of the mechanic is required.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Evidence (table)

Tier Source What it proves
Tier‑1 https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/overview/golem-token GLM as an ERC‑20 utility token for paying for resources; the GNT→GLM migration; GLM cap supply = 1B.
Tier‑1 https://docs.golem.network/docs/golem/payments payments for resources in GLM; support for Ethereum/L2 (Polygon) and the “pay‑as‑you‑go” model.
Tier‑1 https://docs.golem.network/docs/creators/javascript/tutorials/AI-on-golem-network Tier‑1 demo: a how‑to for running AI models (e.g., qwen2 via ollama) on Golem Network providers.
Tier‑1 https://docs.golem.network/docs/creators/golem-workers/sd-example Tier‑1 demo: an example of running Stable Diffusion (Automatic1111) on Golem‑Workers GPU nodes.
Tier‑1 https://golem.network/doc/Golemwhitepaper.pdf the positioning as a compute market; the mention of machine learning as a use‑case; max supply 1B (GNT) and the absence of minting after the crowdfunding; the crowdfunding dates.
Tier‑1 https://etherscan.io/token/0x7DD9c5Cba05E151C895FDe1CF355C9A1D5DA6429 the GLM onchain contract on the Ethereum network.
Tier‑1 https://github.com/golemfactory/yagna/releases client releases/changes (changelog).
Tier‑1 https://github.com/golemfactory/yagna source code (Yagna and related components).

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