Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has unveiled Cocoon, a new decentralised AI computing platform built on the TON blockchain, marking a major step in the company’s push beyond messaging into the broader Web3 ecosystem. The announcement came during the Blockchain Life 2025 conference, where Durov positioned Cocoon—short for Confidential Compute Open Network—as a fusion of artificial intelligence, privacy, and blockchain infrastructure.
The platform allows GPU owners to rent out their idle computing power in exchange for TON tokens, creating a distributed AI compute marketplace. At the same time, developers gain access to affordable, decentralised AI processing for their applications. Telegram will be the first large-scale adopter of the network, integrating Cocoon across its mini-apps and bot ecosystem beginning in November 2025.
According to Durov, Cocoon is designed to protect user privacy while enabling AI-driven functionalities such as message summarisation, auto-replies, and content generation. Unlike conventional AI models that rely on centralised cloud providers, Cocoon operates on a decentralised infrastructure that eliminates single points of control and promotes transparency. Durov described the platform as a “market-driven infrastructure” that ensures open pricing, resists censorship, and aligns with Telegram’s commitment to digital freedom.
The initiative builds upon Telegram’s ongoing collaboration with the TON blockchain, where decentralised apps, payment systems, and NFT services are already active. By layering AI capabilities on top of this ecosystem, Telegram aims to create a self-sustaining digital economy where computation, communication, and value exchange all occur on-chain.
Cocoon also reflects Durov’s long-standing belief in decentralised value systems. He has previously credited his early Bitcoin holdings with helping sustain Telegram during its formative years—a testament to his distrust of centralised, inflationary financial systems. With Cocoon, Durov extends that philosophy from financial independence to computational sovereignty, envisioning a future where users control not only their data and assets but also the infrastructure powering their digital interactions.
The launch of Cocoon marks another milestone in Telegram’s evolution from a private messaging platform into a decentralised ecosystem at the intersection of AI and blockchain. By bridging distributed computing with transparent, tokenised incentives, Durov is positioning TON and Telegram as central players in the next wave of internet innovation.
