- Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) is a decentralized cloud alternative to traditional players, offering completely on-chain computing and storage capabilities.
- Support blockchain-native, privacy-friendly AI applications without relying on centralized providers.
The cloud infrastructure business saw significant growth as global spending reached a whopping $102 billion in Q3 2025, up 25% year over year. Among these developments, Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) has established itself as an alternative to traditional hyperscale cloud providers. The DFINITY Foundation, which supports ICP, is celebrating this development to further advance the decentralized cloud.
ICP makes major inroads into global cloud infrastructure
Q3 2025 saw significant growth in global cloud infrastructure due to increasing enterprise demand for scalable computing and storage. This surge comes alongside strong market sentiment around artificial intelligence (AI), arguing that this approach may be particularly relevant for privacy-sensitive use cases and blockchain-native applications. It also added that relying on a centralized cloud provider could raise regulatory, security or trust concerns.
ICP aims to provide a sovereign cloud environment aligned with Web3 principles by keeping computation and data completely on-chain. As previously reported by CNF, ICP’s main agenda this year 2026 is to focus on Web3 no-code tools and mass market cloud engines. Regarding this, ICP founder Dominic Williams writes:
The “World Computer” blockchain is an on-chain cloud. Currently, only one blockchain, ICP, enables this. The 1000s, on the other hand, host on-chain software that can only process tokens (“smart contracts”). In 2026, people will wake up to the power of ICP through Caffeine AI = actually build on-chain. ”
Major developments planned for 2026
Internet computer protocols have several important developments scheduled for 2026. Dfinity Foundation announced a plan to reduce Internet computer network inflation by 70% in 2026. Further details will be announced in an upcoming Mission70 white paper.
ICP inflation is caused by the minting of tokens issued as rewards to node providers and governance participants. As a result, annual inflation is currently around 14%, based on recent network data.
DFINITY founder Dominic Williams said the Mission70 white paper will be ready for publication on January 14, 2026. It added that the document will detail the mechanisms and policy changes the Foundation plans to implement to achieve its inflation reduction goals.
These changes are part of ICP’s long-term economic transformation by limiting supply growth and maintaining incentives for participation in network security and governance.
