Qubic (QUBIC) is a native Layer-1 blockchain, not a token issued on another chain, that has run its mainnet since April 2022.
It uses a proprietary consensus called Useful Proof of Work (UPoW), secured by 676 validator nodes known as "Computors," and is designed to direct computational effort toward tasks such as AI training rather than arbitrary hashing. The network operates without transaction fees.
Qubic differentiates itself by directing validator computation toward useful work, such as AI training, instead of energy spent solely on cryptographic puzzles, while operating fee-less with instant transaction finality.
An independent performance analysis verified a live mainnet peak throughput of 15.52 million transactions per second. Qubic also launched without an ICO, premine, or venture-capital funding — a fair-launch history some investors view as reducing insider-dump risk relative to VC-backed competitors.
QUBIC is a utility token that rewards Computors for useful computational work rather than functioning as a fee-payment or collateral asset, since the network charges no transaction fees.
Emissions distributed each weekly epoch compensate the 676 Computors based on ranked AI-training performance.
Qubic launched its mainnet in April 2022 as a fair launch, with no ICO, no premine, and no venture-capital funding.
This 2022 network is a distinct project from a 2018 announcement of "Qubic" as an IOTA Foundation sub-project for quorum-based oracle machines. The current Qubic Network, founded by the same individual, is described as a separate blockchain, not a continuation of that IOTA initiative or a token-generation event tied to IOTA.
Qubic operates its own Layer-1 blockchain rather than running as a token on a host chain, secured by a proprietary consensus called Useful Proof of Work (UPoW).
Exactly 676 validator nodes, called Computors, are re-selected each weekly epoch based on ranked performance. A tick (block) finalizes once at least 451 of 676 Computors — a Byzantine-fault-tolerant supermajority — approve it.
Qubic was founded by Sergey Ivancheglo, widely known by the pseudonym "Come-from-Beyond," previously the creator of the NXT blockchain and a co-founder of IOTA.
Beyond the founder, day-to-day project roles sit with a Steering Committee whose members are identified only by handle — Albert, Zgirt, Foley, and Tom55 — making the broader team pseudonymous rather than fully doxxed, though CertiK has verified 4 core team members under a Bronze-level certification granted December 15, 2025.
Qubic describes itself as open-source and community-driven rather than a single company, with no venture-capital backing.
A Swiss association was established as a legal wrapper, giving the project capacity for banking, contracts, payments, and sponsorships while protecting the Steering Committee, founders, and advisors. It is a separate organization from the IOTA Foundation, despite the founder's earlier role there and an unrelated 2018 IOTA-affiliated project that also used the "Qubic" name.
Qubic is governed on-chain by its 676 Computors, who vote by quorum on protocol parameters such as smart-contract commission rates, with approved changes taking effect at the next weekly epoch. Debate occurs in a dedicated Computor-Operator channel.
Ecosystem funding runs through the Computor Controlled Fund (CCF), seeded with roughly 1.18 trillion QUBIC and replenished by 8% of epoch emissions, managed by smart contract with no single key holder. A Steering Committee restructure, passed by Computor vote on November 6, 2024, extended its mandate to October 30, 2026.
CertiK delivered a code-security audit report on Qubic dated April 24, 2025, with remediation reported at 99% complete. A separate Skynet code-security sub-score showed only 10% and a governance-strength sub-score of 5%, despite an overall AA (90.36) rating. A CertiK-run SkyShield bug-bounty program pays up to $100,000 for disclosed vulnerabilities.
In August 2025, Qubic's mining pool conducted reorganization attacks against Monero, reversing 117 transactions. Unverified third-party analysis has also suggested high concentration among top wallets.