Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer‑2 rollup, just unveiled a 225,000‑node smartphone‑powered compute network that delivers confidential on‑chain AI. By turning everyday phones into a secure mesh, developers can run privacy‑first inference directly on Base without relying on centralized clouds. This move marks Base’s shift away from the Optimism OP Stack toward a self‑controlled, security‑focused architecture.
Acurast’s 225K‑Node Smartphone Mesh
All 225,000 nodes run on ordinary smartphones, each acting as a confidential enclave that never exposes raw data. Because the compute stays on the device, you can offload sensitive inference tasks without sacrificing privacy. The mesh promises low‑cost, high‑privacy AI workloads, turning every idle phone into a piece of the decentralized AI puzzle.
Base’s Architectural Reset: From OP Stack to In‑House
Base announced it will part ways with the Optimism OP Stack and take full control of its rollup code. This in‑house approach lets Coinbase push upgrades faster and embed custom privacy layers—like Acurast’s confidential compute—directly into its consensus. The move also means Base won’t rely on external roadmap updates, giving it tighter security oversight.
Why Decentralized AI Matters for Developers
Decentralized AI has struggled with expensive cloud fees and data‑exposure risks. By leveraging a phone‑powered mesh, developers can run inference on‑chain at a fraction of the usual cost while keeping user data encrypted. Imagine a DeFi protocol that assesses risk in real time without ever sending raw data to a third‑party server.
Developer Perspective on Confidential On‑Chain AI
“From a dev standpoint, tapping into a mobile‑based AI layer on Base feels like a breath of fresh air,” says Maya Patel, a smart‑contract engineer. “We’ve been wrestling with off‑chain pipelines that add latency and trust assumptions. Acurast’s mesh could let us keep the entire inference pipeline on‑chain, and you’ll still respect user privacy. The real test will be how the network holds up under heavy load, but the concept is solid.”
What to Expect Next
The migration to an in‑house stack is still early, and Base hasn’t revealed a full timeline yet. Meanwhile, Acurast’s network is live, and developers are invited to start testing confidential AI workloads today. Keep an eye on Base’s dashboard; if you’re looking for a real‑world use case that blends L2 scaling with privacy‑first AI, you’ll want to watch how this experiment evolves.
