That's kinda what I'm thinking. The network would form
  automatically. It would network with the matter/energy it finds
  itself nearby. It snags positive/negative ions for energy and
  for its communication abilities, utilizing virtual photons (I
  don't like that phrase honestly - they're still real) - as
  primary carriers. Or visa-versa. Whatever provides better
  communication and whatever provides better energy... but I like
  the ideas of virtual photons + photons for communication just
  for the SPEED... electrons are natively kinda slow. It's the
  photon-passing (eat/throwup routine) that does the actual work.

  Anyway, the network would just exist. No CPU.

  How would the needs of the system be controlled?

  The environment. The network strives for balance and also
  towards complex systems without conflict in itself and
  consequently everything it's connected with, which would be
  anything the dust is sticking to.

  That includes being inhaled in the lungs, making homes in the
  blood-stream, brains of people, hearts, etc.

  Self-organizing systems would develop, each performing whatever
  task it seems fit depending on its environment.