Buy & Swap Golem (GLM)

A marketplace for computing power

Golem's homepage describes the network simply: an open-source and decentralised platform where everyone can use and share each other's computing power without relying on centralised entities like cloud computing corporations. Its slogan is Create. Compute. Earn.

At its core, Golem connects users worldwide so they can share unused computing power or access extra resources when they need them. The site frames this as democratising access to computation — and fostering a community where everyone can both contribute and benefit.

Golem places itself in the category known as DePIN — decentralised physical infrastructure networks — and says networks like it can accelerate projects in fields as varied as scientific research.^{[1], [2], [3]}

Two sides of the network

Requestors are people who need computing power. The site says they can integrate through a JavaScript API and a Ray interface, and use the network for anything from rendering 3D animations to running AI models, at scalable and cost-effective prices.

Providers are the other side: anyone with spare capacity can join, share their resources and earn. The documentation invites people to support the open-source movement and earn crypto by sharing their computer with the network.

For developers, the docs promise a quickstart that builds and runs an example app on Golem in under ten minutes, with JavaScript and Python documentation, tutorials on executing and composing tasks, transferring data, selecting providers and switching to mainnet.^{[4], [5], [6]}

Where GLM fits

GLM is the glue between the two sides. The homepage says the Golem token acts as a medium of exchange, facilitating transactions between Providers who offer computing resources and Requestors who use them. The project describes this as a balanced, self-sustaining relationship.

Technically, GLM is an ERC-20 token available on both Ethereum and Polygon. Polygon's lower fees suit the small, frequent payments a compute marketplace generates — paying for a few minutes of processing should not cost more in fees than the work itself.

GLM replaced Golem's original token, GNT. The site still offers a migration service for anyone holding the old token, and publishes an onboarding platform that walks newcomers through getting GLM without prior Web3 knowledge.^{[7], [8], [9]}

Why it has lasted

Golem's longevity is part of its story. The idea of a peer-to-peer computing market predates most of today's AI and DePIN projects, and the documentation describes a project that still comes, in its own words, from the need of its heart: an open-source world everyone has the right to enter.

Its bet is that the same spare hardware that once sat idle can serve today's heavier workloads — from 3D rendering to AI models — with GLM settling each job between the people who need computing power and the people who have it to spare.

The documentation also encourages newcomers to join the community on Discord, reflecting a project that treats its contributors as part of the network rather than just its customers.^[10]

How much work the network handles

The homepage includes a network statistics section, but figures did not render in the readable page during review. Current network capacity and usage are UNKNOWN from the sources used here.^[1]