TBC (Turing Bit Chain)

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, the digital economy is undergoing a paradigm shift. AI agents can now independently perform complex tasks, but from data retrieval to cloud resource invocation, the core bottleneck has always been the payment system—traditional financial infrastructure relies on manual intervention, subscription models, and delayed settlements, which cannot meet the needs of real-time, high-frequency, microtransaction exchanges between machines. Against this backdrop, Coinbase's x402 protocol was born, activating the HTTP 402 status code to provide autonomous payment capabilities for AI agents and web services. However, the success of the protocol depends on the support of the underlying blockchain. TBC public chain, as a high-performance infrastructure based on the UTXO model, with its low cost, high throughput, and flexible smart contract capabilities, has become an ideal carrier for the x402 protocol. This article will explore the collaborative advantages of integrating x402 with the TBC public chain and outline its vision for driving autonomous digital economy development.
x402 Protocol: Redefining an Open Standard for Machine-to-Machine Payments
The core innovation of the x402 protocol lies in seamlessly embedding the "payment" action into the network request layer, thereby eliminating manual friction in traditional payment processes. Its design philosophy is based on a long-overlooked HTTP status code—402 Payment Required. When an AI agent or application requests a protected API resource, the server can return an HTTP 402 response, requiring the client to attach a payment proof before continuing access. This mechanism allows machines to "pay-as-you-go" like humans, without the need for account registration, API key management, or subscription binding. The payment process of x402 is highly standardized:
Request and Response: The client initiates an API call; if no valid payment is attached, the server returns a 402 status code along with structured data (such as amount, recipient address, asset type).
Payment Authorization: The client (e.g., AI agent) signs the payment information using a cryptocurrency wallet and retries the request.
On-chain Verification and Settlement: The server verifies the payment signature, broadcasts the transaction to the blockchain, and completes the settlement in real-time.
This process is not only applicable to AI agents but also supports microtransactions for human users. For example, when a user reads a single article or uses a one-time API, they can directly confirm payment through their wallet, avoiding forced subscriptions. The openness of x402 allows support for various stablecoins (such as USDC) and blockchain networks, but current implementations are still limited by the performance and costs of the underlying chain.
As shown in the diagram, the payment process of x402 achieves seamless interaction among AI agents, API services, and the blockchain. However, to fully realize its potential, the underlying public chain must possess instant finality, near-zero fees, and high scalability—and this is precisely where the core advantages of the TBC public chain lie.