DATA Network to migrate its AI data protocol to Sui with $30 million from Sui Foundation

DATA Network, which recently rebranded from Story Foundation, has announced plans to retire its standalone blockchain and migrate its artificial intelligence training data protocol to the Sui blockchain. This transition is supported by a $30 million investment from the Sui Foundation.

Migration to Sui and Protocol Upgrades

As part of this shift, DATA Network’s Trace registry, launched in June, will integrate with the Sui ecosystem. Trace is designed to document the origin and licensing rights of data used for training AI models. Within the Sui blockchain, Walrus, a decentralized storage platform native to Sui, will serve as the default storage layer for applications built and operated by DATA Foundation and its partners.

DATA Foundation representatives noted that maintaining a dedicated blockchain for a single use case, such as AI data tracking, imposed significant costs. The expenses include managing validators, network security, and the overall infrastructure typically required for blockchain maintenance.

Building storage and access control at that scale ourselves would have meant rebuilding what Sui already has in Walrus and Seal, according to a spokesperson from DATA Foundation.

The spokesperson emphasized that leveraging Sui’s infrastructure, particularly through Walrus, would streamline operations and eliminate redundancies. This transition comes as the Trace registry surpassed 270 million registrations within roughly four months of operation, making continued use of a custom blockchain less practical.

Sui Foundation is a pillar of the Sui blockchain ecosystem, focused on advancing decentralized applications and infrastructure. Its recent $30 million investment is intended to bolster DATA Network’s migration, although DATA Foundation described the funding as a separate aspect of the broader partnership.

Mini dictionary: Sui is a proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs. It focuses on high throughput and low latency for decentralized applications, with features such as parallel transaction execution and object-centric data storage. Walrus, within the Sui ecosystem, provides scalable, decentralized file storage suitable for applications that handle large data volumes.

Transition Timeline and Continued Operations

DATA Network’s current blockchain will remain in operation until the migration to Sui is completed. A detailed timeline and an asset holder transition plan are set to be released before the migration begins, ensuring a smooth transition for users and partners.

DATA Foundation stated that the network would continue to operate until the planned upgrade is finalized, with comprehensive migration details to be provided ahead of the switch.

The decision to move to Sui follows DATA Foundation’s recent strategic shift from intellectual property licensing to building a comprehensive technology stack for AI training data. The foundation’s partners have confirmed that both the Trace registry migration and the storage layer change to Walrus are central to optimizing operations within the fast-growing Sui ecosystem.

The DATA Foundation, previously known as Story Protocol, now positions itself as a leader in building AI training data infrastructure, benefitting from new partnerships and support within the broader blockchain sector.