Salad.com, a GPU cloud platform built on globally distributed infrastructure, and Golem Network, a decentralized computing protocol, have entered a partnership to test the use of Golem’s permissionless compute network for Salad’s existing cloud computing operations.
According to the announcement that was shared with Finbold on January 13, as part of the test, Salad plans to mirror and map part of its commercial activity across Golem’s decentralized network, covering a range of its cloud computing products and services.
Testing decentralized infrastructure for existing cloud workloads
The initiative is intended to examine whether decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) can support the variety of customer profiles and workload types currently running on Salad’s centralized platform.
Salad currently relies on a stack of centralized services to manage customer payments and distribute rewards to its global network of infrastructure providers.
The company said that its use of traditional payment processors, usage-based billing platforms, and reward suppliers introduces operational complexity, given its international footprint. The test will explore whether crypto payments and decentralized compute execution could offer efficiency improvements.
“By pairing Salad’s globally distributed infrastructure with Golem’s decentralized compute layer, we’re exploring how customer workloads, revenue, and our extensive rewards program can flow through DePIN. I first read the Golem whitepaper in 2017, and this collaboration reflects a shared vision of making advanced computational power more accessible by enabling millions of individuals to contribute underutilized devices,” said Bob Miles, CEO of Salad.com. “This initial test phase aims to demonstrate whether Web3 can enhance centralized cloud platforms with greater efficiency and openness, while helping us understand how Salad’s margin profile could fit into a sustainable tokenomics model as we scale mirrored traffic through Golem Network.”
Evaluating marketplaces, settlement, and interoperability
The collaboration will also evaluate Golem’s decentralized marketplace and settlement infrastructure to determine whether it can provide a more transparent and cost-efficient platform for value exchange.
Paweł Burgchardt, CPO of Golem Network, added:
“Our collaboration with Salad allows us to explore how Golem’s protocol can integrate with complementary marketplaces for computational resources. The insights gained from this experiment will help us refine Golem’s SDK and strengthen support for future integrations.”
Salad said it began evaluating multiple DePIN protocols in the third quarter of 2025, with Golem emerging as the closest match to its existing platform architecture. Initial tests have already provided technical insights for Salad’s engineering team.
Kyle Dodson, Salad’s CTO, commented:
“The architecture provided by Golem, connecting compute requestors and compute providers via a decentralized protocol, has significant overlap with how Salad’s platform operates today. As Salad works towards supporting a frequently requested feature, crypto payments, I am excited to collaborate with the Golem team to further enhance the efficiency of both cost and the compute-orchestration of our platform.”
Both companies said the partnership is focused on demonstrating how Web2 and Web3-based marketplaces can interoperate, particularly for workloads such as AI inference, drug discovery simulations, and 3D rendering. Further technical and product updates are expected as the engineering test progresses.
Featured image via Shutterstock.
