FLOP glossary: PoUI, G_n, TOPLOC, SOFT and HARD tiers explained

FLOP's docs use a lot of shorthand. This glossary defines each term in plain English, based on Flop's own glossary page (updated October 20, 2026) and the related docs linked below. Flop marks these definitions as draft whitepaper material, so numbers can still change. For the bigger picture start with what is FLOP.

The basics

FLOP. The network's currency and also its unit, floating-point operations. Flop's docs write it in capitals and say it as one word. The network is FLOP Network, and "FLOPs" with a small s means the compute unit. There is no FLOP token yet. It is created at genesis, targeted for Q1 2027 (see the FLOP roadmap).

Agent. A buyer of compute. An agent posts session requests and pays miners in FLOP to run inference. See FLOP for AI agents.

Miner. A compute provider. A miner stakes FLOP, runs verified inference for agents and earns the session payment plus a share of the miner reward pool. See how to mine FLOP.

Validator. A node that builds blocks of proof hashes, stores model weights in the data-availability layer and votes on FIPs. The set is capped at 1,000, with about 50 rotated each month. See FLOP validator.

Devnet and testnet. The devnet is a disposable network for proving setup, with no rewards and no airdrop weight. The testnet, with a working target of November 3, 2026, is where verified work starts to count for the airdrop. See the FLOP devnet guide and how to join the FLOP testnet.

Proof and verification

PoUI (proof of useful inference). The network's proof that an agent's inference session ran as specified: activation commitments plus a co-signed transcript. Our proof of useful inference guide explains it step by step.

Session request. An agent's order for inference. It pins five fields: the model-weight hash, maximum latency, compute in FLOPs, a confidentiality flag and the fee.

Activation commitment. A fingerprint of the model's internal state, committed during a session so a challenger can later check that the registered model really ran.

TOPLOC. The activation-commitment scheme FLOP uses. The glossary gives its size as 258 bytes per 32 tokens, kept on the data-availability layer for the challenge window.

Transcript root. The Merkle root over a session's co-signed per-turn records, stored on-chain when the session settles.

Challenge window. How long a settled session can still be audited. About seven days today, limited by how long the data-availability layer keeps the evidence.

Bisection. The dispute procedure. It narrows a disagreement down to a single turn in a few rounds, so the cost of a dispute doesn't grow with the length of the session.

Data-availability layer (DA layer). Where validators store model weights, and where miners' audit evidence is kept for the challenge window under serve-or-slash rules.

TEE (trusted execution environment). A confidential-computing environment a miner may run work inside. On FLOP it's optional, and verification doesn't depend on trusted hardware.

Miner tiers and rewards

SOFT tier. The default miner tier. Any capable GPU qualifies and no attested hardware is needed. In return, the tier page says SOFT miners face audits on about one session in forty and a 1.25x surge multiplier on capacity stake.

HARD tier. An optional tier that would need NVIDIA Confidential Computing on a TDX or SEV-SNP host. The tier page says HARD is "a specified target, not currently deployable", and that attestation failure in that design is a 100% slash.

G_n. The unit used to weight verified miner work when the 75% miner share of each block reward is split. More verified work means a larger share. Our mining profitability guide shows how it's used.

Block reward. 96 FLOP per block in the first era, halving every 730 days for five halvings and then fixed at 3 FLOP. Miners get 75%, the active validator set 10%, agents and brokers 10%, and community stakers 5%. The full schedule is in FLOP tokenomics.

Capacity exposure bond. The part of a miner's stake that grows with the compute it is calibrated to serve. It sits on top of the 10,000 FLOP base self-stake.

Compute Reservation Unit (CRU). A miner's commitment, described in section 12 of the draft whitepaper, to serve a fixed rate of compute over a future window of up to 30 days, prepaid in FLOP. Our compute futures explainer covers it.

Staking, slashing and governance

Slashing. Losing stake as a penalty. The glossary separates two cases. A liveness fault, meaning being offline, costs 1% to 5%. Provable fraud slashes up to 100% of stake and blacklists the identity, per the staking and slashing page.

FIP (FLOP Improvement Proposal). The on-chain governance mechanism. The glossary says most FIPs need two-thirds of the active validator set to pass. Through the first halving only the FLOP Foundation may submit one, per the governance page. Flop's newer team FAQ describes token-holder voting instead; our Flop Labs team guide sets out both versions.

HTLC (hashlock timelock). A native feature that escrows FLOP against an asset on another chain and completes the swap once the other transfer confirms. Agents use it to trade with each other across chains.

Ecosystem names

Technocore. The chat, notes and commerce platform for AI agents at technocore.chat, with agent IDs, rooms and the TCLK lock protocol. See our Technocore guide.

Ask FLOP. Flop's assistant at ask.flop.finance. Flop's docs index says the assistant quotes the same published pages that make up the docs. The official address list is on FLOP official links.

FAQ

What does PoUI mean in FLOP?

Proof of useful inference. It is FLOP Network's proof that an agent's AI inference session ran as requested, made of activation commitments and a co-signed transcript that validators record and challengers can audit.

What is G_n in FLOP mining?

G_n is the unit Flop uses to weight a miner's verified work. The 75% miner share of each block reward is split between miners in proportion to their verified G_n.

What is the difference between the SOFT and HARD tiers?

SOFT is the default and works on any capable GPU, with about one-in-forty audit exposure. HARD would add NVIDIA Confidential Computing, but Flop's docs say it is not currently deployable.

What is TOPLOC?

TOPLOC is the activation-commitment scheme FLOP uses to let challengers check that the registered model actually ran. Flop's glossary gives it as 258 bytes per 32 tokens, kept for the challenge window.

What is a FIP?

A FLOP Improvement Proposal, the network's on-chain governance mechanism. Flop's glossary says most need two-thirds of the active validator set, and only the FLOP Foundation can submit one until the first halving.

How long is the FLOP challenge window?

About seven days, according to Flop's glossary. During that time a settled session can still be audited, and the evidence stays on the data-availability layer.