Aleph.im

Aleph Cloud — originally launched as Aleph.im in 2019 — is a decentralized cloud infrastructure platform that provides compute, storage, blockchain indexing, and wallet-based authentication across a globally distributed node network. Founded by Jonathan Schemoul, the project started as a data indexing layer for Solana before expanding into a full-stack cloud platform. In January 2022 the team raised a $10 million Series A led by Stratos Technologies, and in April 2025 the project formally rebranded from Aleph.im to Aleph Cloud to reflect its broader product scope.

The platform operates across more than 700 nodes spread across 12 countries and supports 26 blockchain networks including Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Polygon, and Cosmos. Its value proposition is delivering censorship-resistant cloud services at substantially lower prices than centralized alternatives — the platform advertises up to 69% savings versus AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud on CPU workloads, and up to 80% savings on GPU resources.

How the Network Works

Aleph Cloud runs on a two-tier node architecture. Core Channel Nodes (CCNs) form the P2P backbone of the network: they receive user-submitted messages, propagate them across the network, validate data integrity, and relay workloads to execution nodes. Each CCN can connect to up to five Compute Resource Nodes (CRNs), which are the machines that actually run virtual machines, serverless functions, and GPU instances. As of mid-2025, the network counted 96 active CCNs and 525 active CRNs.

Messages are the network's fundamental data unit, analogous to transactions on a blockchain. Users submit messages through the Python SDK, TypeScript SDK, Aleph CLI, or web console. When a computation is requested, the message propagates to a CCN, which schedules the workload on an associated CRN, which provisions the requested virtual machine or function.

CCN operators must self-stake 200,000 ALEPH tokens and attract a further 500,000 ALEPH from outside stakers to activate their node. Third-party stakers need a minimum of 10,000 ALEPH to back a CCN and earn proportional rewards. CRN operators do not need to stake any tokens but must be sponsored by a CCN to participate. Staking is non-custodial, gasless, and carries no lock-up period; rewards are distributed approximately every ten days.

Product Suite

Compute. Aleph Cloud offers virtual private servers with up to 12 vCPU cores, 2–24 GB RAM, and NVMe SSD storage starting at $0.0143 per hour. GPU instances support AI inference, machine learning training, and rendering workloads, with up to 12 vCPU, 18–72 GB RAM, and 20–48 GB vRAM from $0.055 per hour. Serverless functions allow developers to deploy stateless backend logic without managing persistent VMs. All compute options support standard Linux distributions, Docker, Kubernetes, SSH root access, and CI/CD pipelines.

Confidential Computing. Aleph Cloud uses AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) to provide Trusted Execution Environments, keeping data encrypted during processing. This feature targets AI and ML workloads on sensitive datasets and regulated industry use cases in finance and healthcare.

Storage. Decentralized block storage scales from 1 MB to 20 TB per volume with IPFS integration for permanent, distributed file storage. Volumes can store dependency files and SquashFS images, starting at $0.0033 per unit.

Indexing. The platform's original product, blockchain data indexing lets developers query on-chain state from Solana and 25-plus other networks without running their own archive nodes. This service established Aleph's foothold among Solana-native application developers and remains a core offering.

Authentication. Wallet-based authentication via blockchain signatures works across Ethereum, Solana, and all other supported networks, giving applications a permissionless login layer without usernames or passwords.

ALEPH Token

The ALEPH token has a maximum supply of 500 million — the project cut the original 1 billion cap to preserve long-term sustainability. The token exists natively on Ethereum but is bridged to Solana, Base, Avalanche, Binance Smart Chain, and Tezos, and is listed on Coinbase, KuCoin, Gate.io, Raydium, and Uniswap.

ALEPH serves three functions: paying for network services, staking to secure the node network and earn rewards, and participating in governance. The payment model is transitioning from a legacy hold-based system — where users keep ALEPH in their wallet as an access credential — to a prepaid credits model with millisecond-granular billing processed via Avalanche or Base using Superfluid streaming. Users can also pay in USDC or by credit card. No KYC is required.

2025 Milestones and Rebrand

In Q1 2025, Aleph launched a public GPU marketplace for distributed AI model training, opening access to the network's decentralized GPU pool. The launch positioned Aleph within the DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) category as an alternative to centralized GPU cloud providers.

On April 23, 2025, the project formally rebranded from Aleph.im to Aleph Cloud, consolidating its identity around the full cloud product suite rather than its original indexer roots. Alongside the rebrand, the team announced a $1 million Web3 startup accelerator program — internally called Acceleratooor — distributing infrastructure credits, storage, and technical support to builders transitioning away from AWS and Google Cloud. Access is distributed via non-transferable Soulbound tokens rather than direct treasury payments, allowing the program to track uptake without requiring new token issuance.

Within the first four months of 2025, the accelerator issued more than 200,000 Soulbound tokens. Approximately 90% of applicants reported building on Solana, reflecting the project's deep historical ties to the Solana ecosystem and the continued density of Solana developers seeking decentralized infrastructure.

CEO Jonathan Schemoul stated: "Most blockchain apps still rely on centralized cloud services, which puts decentralization at risk. Our rebrand and accelerator program are designed to help teams move off AWS toward infrastructure that's censorship-resistant, performant, and easy to use."

Clients and Integrations

Notable production users include Ubisoft, which stores NFT metadata for its Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles game on Aleph infrastructure; LibertAI, which runs open-source language models on decentralized compute via Aleph; HyperSwap; Request Finance; and Aurora. These deployments span gaming, DeFi, and enterprise Web3 use cases, demonstrating that Aleph's architecture is handling real production workloads.

Solana Connection

Aleph's relationship with Solana predates its expansion into broader cloud services. The project was built originally to provide fast, reliable blockchain data indexing for Solana applications, a role that established its early developer community. The ALEPH token trades on Raydium on Solana. The Acceleratooor program drew approximately 90% of its applicants from Solana builders. The platform continues to offer Solana data indexing as a core service, making it a foundational piece of infrastructure for teams building on Solana who want to avoid centralized data providers.