I just came across an interesting vision for the evolution of the Polkadot network shared by Gavin Wood, at the recent Polkadot Decoded event, that still really has me thinking. Wood outlined Polkadot's potential to serve as a global, multi-core supercomputer, offering computing resources to a wide range of decentralized applications in an efficient manner.

Currently, projects connect to Polkadot through auctioning for limited parachain slots. However, Wood envisions Polkadot utilizing more flexible mechanisms to cater to projects of different scales and stages. As Wood said: "Polkadot should be an integrated system, a single computer on which many applications run."

This evolution would allow Polkadot to better serve the full range of potential users, from startups and hobbyists to large institutions. Beyond parachain slots, Polkadot could offer:

Cloud-type access, allowing projects to pay for the computing resources they need on demand
Preferential access for projects already running on the network
Additional options for smaller projects that can't bid high enough for a parachain slot

Overall, this vision presents Polkadot in a new light - not just as a network of independent parachains, but as a unified global supercomputer. Seems like the future of Polkadot is ever evolving and becoming stronger day by day.