Internet Computer (ICP)

The network uses “canister” smart contracts, which package code and state and can serve web content to users without relying on traditional cloud servers. This architecture supports decentralized apps, enterprise systems, social platforms, games, and AI-assisted software tools. Internet Computer also places strong emphasis on interoperability, including native integrations that allow canisters to interact with other blockchain networks without conventional bridges in some use cases.

A growing theme for the ecosystem is AI-enabled application creation. Tools associated with the network, including natural-language app builders and browser-based development environments, are intended to make it easier for non-specialists and developers to create software that runs on decentralized infrastructure. This supports the project’s broader vision of a more open cloud, where applications can be generated, deployed, and maintained with fewer centralized dependencies.

ICP is the network’s utility and governance token. It is converted into cycles, which pay for computation and storage in a burn-based resource model. Token holders can also stake ICP in the Network Nervous System, the on-chain governance system that controls protocol upgrades, economic parameters, and other network decisions.