What is Pearl?
Pearl is a blockchain that swaps Bitcoin’s hash puzzles for verifiable matrix multiplication, the math AI runs on. The bet: the same computation that powers AI could also secure an open money network.
01 Pearl in plain English
AI models spend most of their computing time multiplying large grids of numbers called matrices. Pearl is designed so a miner can turn that matrix multiplication into a cryptographic proof that secures a blockchain.
The network’s coin is PRL. New PRL goes to miners as block rewards, and transactions move existing PRL between addresses on a public ledger built the way Bitcoin’s is, out of UTXOs.
Bitcoin also pays miners for work, but its work is guessing numbers until a hash comes out small enough. That secures the network and is useful for nothing else. Pearl asks whether the work could be something the world already wants done: the arithmetic inside AI.
02 The protocol at a glance
- Network type
- Layer 1
- Its own chain, nodes and coin
- Ledger
- UTXO
- Bitcoin-style accounting
- Target block time
- 194 seconds
- About 3 minutes 14 seconds
- Maximum supply
- 2.1 billion PRL
- Smooth emission, no halvings
- Smallest unit
- 1 grain
- 0.00000001 PRL
- The work
- Matrix multiplication
- Proved with block certificates
- Live since
- April 27, 2026
- Mainnet genesis, 09:00 UTC
- License
- ISC
- Open source, on GitHub
03 Pearl and Bitcoin, side by side
Pearl’s node descends from btcd, a Bitcoin implementation, so everything about how money moves is Bitcoin-shaped. What changes is how blocks are produced and paid for.
| Feature | Bitcoin | Pearl |
|---|---|---|
| Mining work | SHA-256 hashing, useful only for mining | Matrix multiplication, the core operation of AI |
| Target block time | About 10 minutes | 194 seconds (3 min 14 s) |
| Supply cap | 21 million BTC | 2.1 billion PRL |
| Issuance | Halves every four years, in steps | Shrinks a little every block; about half is issued in the first four years |
| Difficulty | Adjusts every 2,016 blocks | Adjusts every block (WTEMA) |
| Ledger | UTXO | UTXO |
| Addresses | Several formats, from legacy to Taproot | Taproot and the newer P2MR, both starting with prl1 |
| Scripting | Deliberately limited | Deliberately limited, plus a few additions such as an XMSS signature check |
04 What exists today
The public Pearl repository holds a full node (pearld), the Oyster wallet daemon (a background program) and its terminal app, a privacy-preserving light client, a desktop wallet, a GPU miner built on vLLM, a zero-knowledge proving system and supporting tools. It is open source under the ISC license.
- Live
Mainnet
Live
Since April 27, 2026
- Live
Core software
v1.5.2
Released Oct 17, 2026
- Live
Desktop wallet
v3.0.0
Windows, macOS, Linux · Oct 13, 2026
- Live
Inference platform
Offered
Pearl Research Labs’ paid AI API
- Planned
FP8 protocol
In development
Specified; not live on mainnet
Pearl is still early software. Releases, mining compatibility, pools, exchanges and tooling change quickly. Treat every third-party guide, this one included, as a snapshot, and check anything you act on against the official repository (opens in a new tab).
05 Questions people ask
Is Pearl the same thing as PRL?
Is Pearl a token on Ethereum or another chain?
Who runs Pearl?
Is Pearl post-quantum today?
Sources
Checked Oct 20, 2026
- Primary Pearl monorepo on GitHub Pearl Research Labs (opens in a new tab)
- Primary Pearl INT whitepaper (the scheme mainnet runs) Pearl Research Labs (opens in a new tab)
- Primary Official Pearl releases Pearl Research Labs (opens in a new tab)
- Primary Pearl Research Labs website Pearl Research Labs (opens in a new tab)
Software and protocol details change. Use LearnPearl to get oriented, then confirm anything involving money, keys or hardware at the official source.
Knowledge check
Check your understanding
4 questions · about 2 minutes · nothing is sent anywhere
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Show answer
Matrix multiplication. Pearl replaces hash puzzles with matrix multiplication, the core arithmetic of AI. It is still proof of work: no staking is involved.
Pearl replaces hash puzzles with matrix multiplication, the core arithmetic of AI. It is still proof of work: no staking is involved.
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Show answer
The native coin of Pearl’s own blockchain. PRL is the native coin of the Pearl layer 1. Tokens on other chains with similar names, such as WPRL, are not native PRL.
PRL is the native coin of the Pearl layer 1. Tokens on other chains with similar names, such as WPRL, are not native PRL.
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Show answer
It shrinks a little with every block. Each block’s reward is slightly smaller than the one before, with no sudden halvings. About half of the 2.1 billion PRL is issued in the first four years.
Each block’s reward is slightly smaller than the one before, with no sudden halvings. About half of the 2.1 billion PRL is issued in the first four years.
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Show answer
the required matrix work was performed. The block’s certificate proves the work happened. Whether that work served an outside AI customer is a separate question the protocol can’t answer by itself.
The block’s certificate proves the work happened. Whether that work served an outside AI customer is a separate question the protocol can’t answer by itself.