Internet Computer node providers are admitted by on-chain vote and paid for scheduled work

No contracts, just code: how node providers join the Internet Computer

Running hardware on the Internet Computer ($ICP) is nothing like signing up with a traditional cloud provider. Independent operators buy their own servers, place them in data centers of their choosing, and then apply to the Network Nervous System (NNS), the on-chain governance body that controls the entire protocol. Admission is decided by a community vote, not by @dfinity.

The NNS evaluates applications with decentralization in mind. Applicants who bring a new jurisdiction, a new hardware supplier, or a new ownership structure to the network are favored over those who would simply duplicate existing coverage. The same logic applies to secondary-market transfers: a node sold between providers must relocate to a country that maintains or improves geographic spread across the network.

Pay tied to scheduled work, not uptime

Once admitted, providers are compensated only for computation the network actually schedules onto their machines. Sitting idle earns nothing, and reward rates are set through NNS governance proposals rather than bilateral agreements. According to official Internet Computer Wiki documentation, existing providers continue to operate and earn rewards under these terms.

New admissions are currently on hold. The Internet Computer Wiki confirms that the network reached its target topology in December 2023 and does not require additional capacity to meet its decentralization objectives. DFINITY has stated it will not vote to approve new node machine proposals until subnet demand makes further infrastructure necessary.

The broader governance architecture sits behind all of this. DFINITY's own documentation describes the NNS as the on-chain DAO "responsible for managing the full Internet Computer, making all decisions about the future of the network, including updates to the protocol, management of nodes." That scope is what makes node admission a public, on-chain process rather than a private negotiation.

The result is a model where physical infrastructure operates under the same governance rules as the software it runs, with no party, including DFINITY itself, holding unilateral authority over who participates.

Sources:
Internet Computer Wiki: Node Provider Documentation
DFINITY: Governance on ICP in 2024, Part 3 (NNS)
Internet Computer: Network Governance