Acurast PriceACU

What is Acurast (ACU)?

Acurast (ACU) is a decentralized verifiable compute network that runs on smartphones instead of centralized data centers. Described as the first decentralized verifiable compute network powered by phones, Acurast utilizes billions of smartphones to deliver scalable, secure, and confidential compute without relying on traditional server infrastructure. The network is built on a Substrate-based Polkadot parachain, and ACU also exists as a multichain token: an ERC20 token on Ethereum and an Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) on BSC, Base, and Peaq.

The project positions itself as part of the DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) category, with a zero-trust design and a focus on verifiable decentralization. Its core hardware foundation is smartphones equipped with built-in Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and top-tier Hardware Security Modules (HSMs). The initial supply of ACU is 1,000,000,000 tokens, with a total supply reported between 1.02 billion and 1.03 billion and a fixed annual inflation of 5%. Acurast started in 2022 and reached a major milestone with the official birth of its Mainnet on January 20, 2026.

Key Specifications & Tokenomics

• Name: Acurast
• Ticker/Symbol: ACU
• Blockchain / Platform: Substrate-based Polkadot parachain; ERC20 on Ethereum; OFT on BSC, Base, and Peaq
• Category: AI & Big Data, DePIN, Binance Alpha
• Initial Supply: 1,000,000,000 ACU
• Total Supply: 1.02B–1.03B ACU
• Max Supply: Infinite
• Circulating Supply: Approximately 384 million ACU
• Fixed Inflation: 5% annually, distributed to Staked Compute Pool (70%), Compute Pool (10%), and other allocations
• Token Utility: Access to compute resources, settlement layer, protocol security, and transaction submission
• Official Website: https://acurast.com/
• Documentation: https://docs.acurast.com/
• Explorer: hub.acurast.com
• Ethereum Contract Address: 0xc5fed7c8ccc75d8a72b601a66dffd7a489073f0b
• Mainnet Launch: January 20, 2026
• CertiK Rating: 3.9

Who created Acurast?

Acurast was founded in 2022 by Pascal Brun and Alessandro De Carli, with Alessandro De Carli serving as Co-Founder. The team comes from an extensive background in the mobile cyber security field and began working on Acurast motivated by their awareness of the superior security provided by Hardware Security Modules (HSM) in mobile devices. The project is headquartered in Switzerland, with sources listing Zurich and Zug. The team size is between 10 and 50 people. The company has raised a total of $11 million in funding, with its latest round being crowdfunding, and it operates at the seed stage. A CoinList sale was conducted at a price of $0.09 with a minimum purchase of $100, offering 60,000,000 ACU.

How does Acurast work?

Acurast operates as a decentralized serverless cloud with a novel zero-trust design. Instead of relying on centralized data centers, the network harnesses smartphones as its compute hardware. These devices are equipped with built-in Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and top-tier Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), which the project states surpass traditional servers in security. The network is verifiable, scalable, and confidential, enabling users to run secure applications on decentralized infrastructure at scale without compromising speed or privacy.

The architecture is built on a Substrate-based Polkadot parachain. ACU functions as a multichain token, native on Acurast Mainnet, as an ERC20 on Ethereum, and as a LayerZero OFT on BSC, Base, and Peaq. Bridging infrastructure includes Stargate for moving ACU from BSC, Base, or Peaq to Ethereum, and the official Acurast HyperDrive bridge for moving Ethereum-based ACU to Acurast Mainnet. The network also features a Staked Compute mechanism, where 70% of inflation is allocated, allowing compute providers to accept delegation and receive additional rewards, with staked compute able to be restaked.

What makes Acurast unique and valuable?

Acurast differentiates itself by redefining decentralized compute from the hardware up. Smartphones are described as the most battle-tested devices worldwide, trusted by billions, and their built-in TEEs and top-tier HSMs provide a security foundation that the project claims surpasses traditional servers. This approach eliminates the need for data centers, making the network inherently decentralized and resilient.

The network has already onboarded over 286,700 phones worldwide, making it one of the most decentralized verifiable compute networks available. It has processed over 998 million on-chain transactions and supports more than 601,818 deployments. The accessible-first design of Staked Compute allows individuals without hardware to participate by delegating their stake to compute providers, lowering barriers to entry. The project also addresses real-world use cases such as confidential LLMs for enterprise data, decentralized bandwidth and compute, on-chain automation, secure secret management, and high-performance distributed compute including zkProof generation.

What is Acurast used for?

ACU is the native currency of the Acurast Mainnet and is used to pay for all chain interactions on the network. The token grants access to compute resources, serves as a settlement layer, secures the protocol, and is used to submit transactions. According to the project, the ACU token is what makes the entire decentralization of the protocol possible.

The network supports a range of use cases grouped into several categories. Confidential Execution includes confidential LLMs for enterprise data and distributed analytics with secure database integrations. Decentralized Bandwidth & Compute covers web scraping, blockchain indexing, social media monitoring, oracles, and decentralized VPN services. On-Chain Automation & Secure Secret Management includes AI-driven CEX/DEX trading strategies, cross-chain asset management, and LLM-powered crypto wallets. High-Performance Distributed Compute encompasses cost-efficient compute clusters, resilient website hosting, and scalable zkProof generation.

How Is the Acurast ecosystem developing?

The Acurast ecosystem is expanding across multiple dimensions. The network supports Android, iOS, and Solana Mobile platforms, and the project maintains a community hub for builders, events, and community support, along with an ambassador program. A quest platform called Cloud Rebellion allows participants to receive MIST by completing quests, deploying apps to Acurast's decentralized Cloud, onboarding mobile phones as a Processor, referring friends, and more.

Key milestones in the project's history include the start of development in 2022, the publication of the original whitepaper in March 2025, the release of a research paper in May 2025, the announcement of ACU as a multichain token in November 2025, the publication of updated tokenomics in January 2026, and the official birth of the Acurast Mainnet on January 20, 2026. The project has also published a series of blog posts covering topics such as running OpenClaw on an Acurast Processor, Garage S3-compatible object storage on decentralized compute, and security protocol upgrades. The CMC Rank is #398 per CoinMarketCap, and ACU is listed on multiple trading venues including Binance Alpha, Kraken, Gate.io, KuCoin, Bitvavo, MEXC, and OKX as an Expiry Perp.

How to mine Acurast?

Acurast does not use traditional proof-of-work mining. Instead, the network relies on a Staked Compute mechanism. Participants can onboard smartphone compute without purchasing tokens or dealing with gatekeepers. Those without hardware can still receive rewards by delegating their stake to compute providers. Compute providers can accept delegation and receive additional rewards, and staked compute can be restaked. A fixed annual inflation of 5% is distributed, with 70% allocated to the Staked Compute Pool and 10% to the Compute Pool, with the remainder going to other allocations. This structure incentivizes both hardware providers and delegators to participate in securing and operating the network.

How to keep your Acurast Coin safe?

Because ACU is a multichain token, the most important safety practice is to confirm that the destination chain matches the token instance being sent. Sending ACU to an address on the wrong network is irreversible and can result in lost funds. Each exchange chooses which token instance it supports, so users must check the network before depositing or withdrawing. For Acurast Mainnet native ACU, users should refer to the official Wallet Overview. For EVM chains including Ethereum, BSC, Base, and Peaq, standard EVM wallets such as MetaMask or Rabby can be used.

When bridging, use only the official infrastructure: Stargate for moving ACU from BSC, Base, or Peaq to Ethereum, and the official Acurast HyperDrive bridge at hub.acurast.com for moving Ethereum-based ACU to Acurast Mainnet. Only interact with token contracts listed in the official token reference, and beware of fake tokens with similar names. Always verify contract addresses and network details before executing any transaction.