What Is Internet Computer (ICP) and How Does It Work?

By: WEEX|2025-09-18 01:45:56
Share
copy

What Is Internet Computer (ICP) ?

The Internet Computer (ICP) is a public blockchain designed to bring decentralized cloud computing to the internet. Unlike traditional cloud services (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure), ICP runs on a globally distributed network of independent nodes, eliminating reliance on centralized providers.

Its goal is to enable fully on-chain applications—where websites, enterprise software, and even social media can run entirely on blockchain without needing traditional servers.

How Does Internet Computer (ICP) Work?

The modern Internet is dominated by centralized infrastructure. Most popular web applications are proprietary, closed-source, and hosted on a small number of data centers controlled by major tech corporations. This centralization creates vulnerabilities—if a critical data center fails, large portions of the web can go offline. Additionally, centralized platforms have the power to censor or remove applications at will, raising concerns about freedom and privacy.

The Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) proposes a radical alternative: a decentralized network where developers can build, host, and serve applications directly on the public Internet. Unlike traditional cloud services, applications on ICP are not tied to a single provider or location. Instead, they run across a distributed network of independent data centers worldwide, ensuring resilience and reducing reliance on corporate intermediaries.

As described by MIT Technology Review, ICP shifts away from the conventional model:

"Rather than operating on a Google Cloud server, software on the Internet Computer has no fixed physical address—it dynamically moves across servers owned by independent data centers globally."

What Risks Might the Internet Computer Face?

  1. Hardware Requirements & Decentralization Trade-offs
    1. Running ICP nodes may demand more powerful hardware than typical blockchain networks, potentially limiting participation to well-funded entities. If only large data centers can afford to operate nodes, the network risks becoming less decentralized over time. This is a key consideration for those interested in Internet Computer ICP mining or node operation.
  2. Content Moderation & Accountability
    1. A fully decentralized web raises difficult questions about illegal or harmful content. Traditional platforms enforce moderation policies, but ICP must find a way to balance censorship resistance with responsible governance. Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) or community-driven mechanisms may be needed to address these challenges.
  3. Competition from Other Decentralized Web Projects
    1. ICP is not alone in reimagining the Internet. Competing protocols like IPFS/Filecoin (for decentralized storage) and MIT’s Solid (Tim Berners-Lee’s project for user-controlled data) offer alternative approaches to decentralization. The success of Internet Computer ICP blockchain will depend on adoption, scalability, and its ability to differentiate itself from these rivals.

Conclusion

The Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) is revolutionizing Web3 by replacing traditional cloud infrastructure with a censorship-resistant, decentralized network—empowering users with true data ownership, enhanced security, and serverless applications. As ICP challenges Big Tech’s dominance, its potential grows exponentially.

For those looking to participate in this ecosystem, understanding how to buy Internet Computer ICP is a logical first step. Once acquired, storing assets in a secure ICP Internet Computer wallet is essential for safety. While some may explore Internet Computer ICP mining, others might focus on long-term investment strategies based on ICP Internet Computer prediction models.

Now, you can trade $ICP on WEEX Exchange—a secure, user-friendly platform with deep liquidity and advanced tools. Don’t just witness the evolution; be part of it!

Further Reading

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an endorsement of any of the products and services discussed or investment, financial, or trading advice. Qualified professionals should be consulted prior to making financial decisions.

You may also like

What Is Piggycell (PIGGY)? Exploring the DePIN Powerhouse Linking South Korea's Charging Empire to Blockchain

Imagine turning a simple phone charge into a rewarding adventure that blends everyday convenience with cutting-edge blockchain tech. That's the essence of Piggycell (PIGGY), a trailblazing DePIN project that fuses South Korea's dominant shared power bank system with the BNB Chain. This guide dives into its innovative Charge-to-Earn framework, the intricacies of PIGGY tokenomics, its practical applications in the real world, and the exciting prospects for its price trajectory ahead.

As of October 30, 2025, just days after its token generation event on October 28, Piggycell continues to spark buzz across crypto communities, with recent launches on platforms like Binance Alpha and KuCoin fueling discussions about its potential to redefine energy assets. Drawing from verified on-chain data and market insights, this project stands out by tokenizing verifiable activities like device rentals and charging sessions, building a robust Real-World Asset ecosystem right on the BNB Chain.

Before embracing Web3, Piggycell had already carved out a commanding presence in South Korea, boasting a 95% market share, more than 4 million active users, and over 14,000 charging stations nationwide. This solid foundation sets it apart from many speculative crypto ventures, delivering actual income streams and a loyal user community to drive its blockchain integration forward.

How Piggycell Operates: Unpacking the Mechanics

At its heart, Piggycell thrives on a sophisticated incentive structure that transforms routine behaviors into blockchain-verified value, much like how a beehive turns individual efforts into collective honey.

The bedrock combines DePIN with Real-World Assets, where every charging station and power bank becomes a tokenized NFT on the blockchain. This setup ensures a clear record of ownership and how revenues are shared. Data shows that as much as 70% of rental earnings gets funneled directly to NFT holders through automated smart contracts, promoting fairness and efficiency.

Layered on top is the incentive system with various X-to-Earn approaches. In Charge-to-Earn, people gain PIGGY tokens just by borrowing and returning power banks, with each transaction authenticated and logged on opBNB for utmost clarity. Then there's Dominate-to-Earn, where individuals can buy or rent NFTs tied to particular stations or areas, entitling them to a portion of the profits from those physical assets. Adding a fun twist, Challenge-to-Earn incorporates game-like rewards for activities such as sharing with friends or engaging within the app, boosting overall participation and growth.

Technologically, it leans on the BNB Chain and its efficient Layer-2 opBNB for speedy, low-cost transactions essential for managing countless small-scale interactions from its vast user pool. Partnerships extend to chains like Internet Computer for specialized features, enhancing its versatility.

Why Dive into Piggycell: Key Benefits Unveiled

Whether you're a seasoned crypto enthusiast or a newcomer from traditional apps, Piggycell presents irresistible perks that bridge gaps between worlds, akin to how a universal adapter makes any outlet accessible.

It opens doors to genuine real-world returns, letting investors tap into the profits of a thriving physical operation via NFTs, democratizing access to assets in a way that's refreshingly inclusive. Rewards are handled transparently through smart contracts, all traceable on the blockchain, cutting out any murky financial practices. Bolstered by prestigious venture capital from firms like Animoca Brands and DWF Labs, it gains trustworthiness and the muscle needed for worldwide rollout. For everyday folks, the app-centric Charge-to-Earn eases entry into crypto without overwhelming hurdles, making blockchain feel as straightforward as plugging in your device.

Recent metrics underscore this appeal: post-launch, the network has surged to over 187,000 users and 3.2 million transactions in a short span, reflecting explosive adoption. Discussions on platforms like X highlight its real infrastructure—15,000+ locations generating 180 million Piggy Watts and 51 billion on-chain charge seconds—as a standout in the DePIN space, where many projects linger in testing phases.

Essential Details on the PIGGY Token

The PIGGY token anchors this ecosystem, with a total supply capped at 100 million. Its contract address is 

0x8410fea2Dd13c1798977Ff4D55A9e1835f54f216. 

As of October 30, 2025, the market capitalization hovers around $11.8 million, showcasing its early-stage vitality amid broader market dynamics.

Assessing Piggycell’s Investment Outlook

Piggycell's strength lies in its rock-solid base and vast growth horizon, setting it apart like a well-rooted tree in a field of saplings.

Unlike fledgling tokens, it builds on a revenue-generating leader in South Korea, pulling in approximately $7.5 million yearly, which provides a stable value anchor uncommon in crypto and mitigates risks relative to idea-only counterparts. With its 4 million-plus established users, the focus shifts to seamlessly transitioning them into token participants, a strategy already yielding fruit with 166,898% user growth recently. The global shared power bank rental sector, valued at about $2.5 billion in 2025, is forecasted to climb to $4.2 billion by 2033 at a 15.6% CAGR, offering Piggycell immense room for international expansion and skyrocketing potential.

For traders eyeing opportunities, platforms like WEEX exchange stand out with their robust spot trading features, user-friendly interfaces, and commitment to security, making it an ideal spot to engage with emerging tokens like PIGGY/USDT while aligning seamlessly with innovative projects that emphasize real utility and brand credibility.

Technical Breakdown of Piggycell

Intense market activity marks Piggycell, with 24-hour trading volumes reaching $67 million, far exceeding its $11.8 million market cap and yielding a turnover ratio of about 5.7, signaling high liquidity yet a speculative edge over steady holding. Amid this, Bitcoin's dominance at around 59% and a Fear & Greed Index of 34 reflect ongoing caution in the crypto landscape, meaning PIGGY navigates a competitive, risk-wary environment.

Evaluating Risks in Piggycell

Speculation heavily influences current pricing, and any sentiment shift could trigger abrupt drops. Scaling from Korean dominance to global markets poses real hurdles in operations and rivalry. Tied to crypto's overall vibe, a Bitcoin slump might drag down altcoins like PIGGY.

FAQWhat exactly is Charge-to-Earn in Piggycell?

Charge-to-Earn lets users accumulate PIGGY tokens through everyday power bank rentals, with each verified session on the blockchain turning routine charging into rewarding, transparent income.

How can I start earning with Piggycell?

Download the app, rent a power bank from one of the 14,000+ stations, and watch rewards flow via smart contracts—it's as simple as charging your phone while building crypto holdings.

Is investing in PIGGY tokens a safe bet?

While backed by real revenue and strong metrics like 4 million users, it carries crypto risks like market volatility; always research and consider diversification for balanced exposure.

 

Top 7 AI Crypto to Buy in October 2025

The convergence of artificial intelligence and blockchain is accelerating throughout 2025, fundamentally reshaping the tech landscape. This fusion is giving rise to powerful crypto projects that provide the critical infrastructure—from decentralized computation to data storage—necessary for a more open and accessible AI economy.

For investors in October, this creates a pivotal opportunity to look beyond short-term volatility and target tokens with strong utility and ecosystem growth. Our selection of the top 7 AI cryptos for this month is grounded in a clear-eyed assessment of their recent market performance, active development, and underlying on-chain strength, highlighting the most compelling assets in this dynamic space.

Bittensor (TAO)

Bittensor operates a pioneering decentralized network that functions as a global marketplace for machine intelligence. By enabling developers to contribute, train, and monetize AI models in an open ecosystem, it is creating a novel economy for neural network computation.

Current Price: $425.Market Position: Holds a substantial market capitalization of around $4.13 billion.Catalyst: A significant boost in institutional confidence followed a recent SEC filing by Grayscale that featured the token.Technical Outlook: The network is showing a decisive breakout from a prolonged downtrend, indicating a robust technical reversal. Its unique model for incentivizing AI development solidifies its position as a cornerstone project for long-term growth in the AI blockchain space.Render (RENDER)

Render Network is decentralizing access to GPU power, creating a distributed infrastructure critical for both AI model training and immersive metaverse applications. It efficiently harnesses idle computing resources from a global network.

Current Price: $2.548Market Cap: Stands at $1.46 billion, ranking it within the top 60 cryptocurrencies.Momentum: Exhibiting a strong recovery from recent market pressures.Value Proposition: Its core vision of aggregating GPU resources for complex computation tasks makes it an indispensable component of the expanding AI and creative economies, with a growing list of partnerships in AI and visual computing.NEAR Protocol (NEAR)

Originally designed as a scalable Layer 1 blockchain, NEAR Protocol has strategically positioned itself as a hub for AI and decentralized applications, emphasizing user and developer-friendly tools.

Performance: Priced at $2.52, marking a 12.19% gain in the last 24 hours.Valuation: Commands a market cap of $3.16 billion.Ecosystem Strength: Supported by a robust community of over 1,100 active developers, one of the highest counts in the sector.Potential: Its collaborative environment and active integration with machine learning initiatives provide a foundation for sustained innovation and ecosystem maturity, despite normal market fluctuations.Story (IP)

Story (IP) explores a specialized niche, utilizing blockchain to create decentralized ecosystems for AI-driven story generation and collaborative creative ownership.

Current Price: $5.453Volatility Note: Its weekly chart shows a decline of over 30%, highlighting its speculative and high-risk nature.Outlook: As an early-stage project, it appeals to investors targeting high-reward opportunities in emergent AI content creation platforms. Its success is closely tied to the future mainstream adoption of AI-generated media.Internet Computer (ICP)

Internet Computer aims to redefine decentralized cloud computing, with a specific focus on enabling AI models and services to run natively on its blockchain.

Current Price: $3.167Development Activity: Maintains strong momentum with approximately 758 active developers.Technical Edge: Its ability to host AI workloads directly on-chain represents a significant architectural advancement beyond standard smart contracts, positioning it as a strong candidate for long-term AI infrastructure adoption.Filecoin (FIL)

Filecoin provides a critical service for the AI industry: secure, decentralized data storage. It serves as the foundational layer for storing and distributing the vast datasets required for AI training and operation.

Current Price: $1.577Context: Despite a challenging weekly performance, its core utility remains undiminished.Strategic Importance: In an era where data is paramount, Filecoin’s permissionless and robust storage solution is increasingly vital for the backend of decentralized AI data pipelines.The Graph (GRT)

The Graph serves as the decentralized data layer for the blockchain world, indexing and organizing information so that AI applications can efficiently query and utilize on-chain data.

Current Price: $0.0653Sector Role: Its protocol is fundamental for any AI application that requires real-time, structured data from blockchains.Prognosis: As the demand for intelligent blockchain analytics grows, The Graph’s role as a core infrastructure provider is expected to become even more critical.Developer and On-Chain Activity

A key metric for evaluating the long-term potential of these projects is their developer activity and on-chain growth.

NEAR Protocol and Internet Computer lead the pack with high levels of developer engagement, indicating strong, ongoing ecosystem development and sustainability.Bittensor shows rapidly growing community interest, largely driven by its novel economic model and increasing institutional attention.Render, The Graph, and Filecoin maintain moderate but consistent development activity, focused on enhancing their core infrastructural offerings.Story (IP), while promising, is still in its early stages with a smaller, nascent ecosystem.Outlook for Q4 2025

October 2025 is shaping up to be a defining period for AI cryptocurrencies. The convergence of on-chain AI logic, decentralized computing, and distributed data storage is creating a multi-layered infrastructure poised to support the next generation of decentralized applications.

While the market remains inherently volatile, the growing institutional focus on leading projects like TAO, NEAR, and RENDER points to a maturing sector with long-term potential. These tokens are at the forefront of a blockchain-powered AI renaissance, moving beyond theory toward practical, scalable use cases.

Conclusion

The merger of AI and blockchain is more than a trend; it is a fundamental shift in how digital intelligence and value can be created and distributed. The projects leading this charge are evolving from speculative assets into critical architects of a decentralized digital future. For strategic investors, the current market presents a significant opportunity to engage with foundational technologies that are likely to play a central role in the ongoing evolution of the crypto landscape. As always, success in this dynamic sector requires diligent research, strategic diversification, and a focus on long-term fundamentals.

The foundation for the next digital era is being built now. Don't just watch from the sidelines—begin your AI crypto trading journey on WEEX now!

Further ReadingTop Elon Musk Crypto to Watch in 2025Top 5 Four.meme Coins in the BNB EcosystemTop Solana Memecoins to Watch in 2025

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an endorsement of any of the products and services discussed or investment, financial, or trading advice. Qualified professionals should be consulted prior to making financial decisions.

Popular coins

Sign up now and unlock everything WEEX has to offer
Sign up