At the Blockchain Life 2025 conference in Dubai, Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced the launch of Cocoon, a new confidential-compute open network built on the TON blockchain and tightly integrated with the Telegram ecosystem. The public launch is scheduled for November 2025. In the same address, Durov revealed that third-party developers building on Telegram’s Mini Apps platform have collectively generated over US $1 billion in revenue in the past year.
Key Facts
- Cocoon is described as a Confidential Compute Open Network that will allow GPU owners to contribute computing power, and developers to deploy privacy-preserving AI and compute tasks.
- The network will be built on the TON blockchain (originally developed by Telegram) and will leverage Telegram’s large user base and ecosystem.
- Telegram will play an active role in the development and first-wave deployment of Cocoon, positioning the messaging platform as both promoter and integrator.
- A public beta or full launch is set for November 2025.
- According to Durov, Telegram Mini Apps — small applications built within Telegram’s ecosystem — have generated over US $1 billion in developer revenue over the last year.
- Telegram has already surpassed 1 billion monthly active users, providing a large potential audience for the new offerings.
Why It Matters
- The launch of Cocoon signals a strategic push by Telegram and TON into confidential compute and AI infrastructure, leveraging both blockchain and messaging-app scale. This creates a potential differentiator vs. traditional cloud/AI providers.
- By aligning Cocoon with Telegram’s ecosystem (Mini Apps, bots, wallet features), the initiative may accelerate adoption by developers and users already active on Telegram, lowering onboarding friction.
- The $1 billion+ Mini Apps revenue figure underscores the monetisation potential within Telegram’s ecosystem — developers are already earning at scale, which may foster further investment and innovation.
- With Telegram’s user-base scale and TON integration, the project may emerge as a notable infrastructure layer in Web3, especially in areas of privacy, compute, and user interface (messaging as the front-end).
- The November 2025 launch timing gives the project in-phase entry into the 2025-26 crypto/A I infrastructure cycle — firms and developers may align builds ahead of full deployment.
Background on Telegram, TON and Mini Apps
- The TON blockchain (The Open Network) was originally developed in association with Telegram and its founders; today it functions as a high-throughput layer-1 blockchain integrated with Telegram’s wallet and token (Toncoin).
- Telegram’s Mini Apps are small applications that run inside Telegram (bots, games, payments) and tap into its social and chat infrastructure. They form part of Telegram’s broader ecosystem strategy.
- Telegram’s monetisation in 2024 and 2025, including ad revenue, subscriptions, and ecosystem partnerships, has shown strong growth, supporting the platform’s shift beyond simple messaging.
What to Watch Going Forward
- Launch specifics of Cocoon — how the compute network will operate, tokenomics, governance model, developer incentives, and how privacy/confidential-compute features will be delivered.
- Developer engagement — how many developers sign up for Cocoon, what applications are built, and how Telegram Mini Apps link to the new compute network.
- Toncoin / TON network metrics — growth in wallets, transactions, compute jobs, and how Cocoon traffic influences TON network usage.
- User adoption within Telegram — whether Cocoon services are integrated into Telegram natively (e.g., bots, wallet, Mini Apps) and how users respond.
- Competitive landscape — how other compute / AI-blockchain projects respond and whether Telegram/TON can differentiate on privacy, messaging+computing synergy and scale.
Risks and Considerations
- Integration risk: While Telegram has scale, building a robust, privacy-focused compute network linked to blockchain is complex and may face delays or performance issues.
- Developer adoption: A $1 billion Mini Apps figure is promising, but transitioning developers into a new compute network (Cocoon) may require incentives, tooling and stable economics.
- Token and network economics: The TON network already supports many use-cases — how Cocoon’s compute tasks, token incentives, and monetisation interplay with existing TON ecosystem must be clear.
- Regulatory/Privacy: Confidential compute and blockchain models may attract regulatory scrutiny (data-privacy, compute outsourcing, international cross-border flows).
- User experience: For mainstream Telegram users, adoption of new compute or Mini Apps features must be seamless; complexity may deter mass-market uptake.
Bottom Line
The announcement of Cocoon by Pavel Durov at Blockchain Life 2025 marks a significant milestone for Telegram and the TON ecosystem — blending messaging, blockchain infrastructure and confidential computing into a single strategic initiative. Backed by a strong ecosystem (Mini Apps) and a massive user base, the project has the potential to redefine how compute, AI and social apps converge. Nonetheless, execution, adoption and token/economic design will determine if this vision translates into broad impact.