TLDR
- Sui Foundation is investing $30 million in DATA Network and will become its largest institutional holder.
- DATA tokens will migrate to Sui one-to-one, retaining governance rights and existing vesting schedules.
- Walrus will become the default storage platform for DATA Foundation applications, enabling encrypted storage of original training files.
- DATA Foundation reports over 250 million Trace contributions and average daily processing above 3 million receipts.
- DATA Network will remain operational until the upgrade finishes, with a detailed transition timeline due beforehand.
Sui Foundation is investing $30 million in DATA Network through a partnership announced Monday, October 12. The AI training data protocol will move onto Sui and use Walrus for storing original data files.
DATA Foundation said Sui Foundation will become the network’s largest institutional holder. PIP Labs and DATA Foundation will retain their existing stakes. The deal follows DATA Foundation’s June shift from intellectual property licensing to AI training data, after operating as Story Foundation.
Sui Foundation Sets Token Migration Terms
DATA Network will retire its independent blockchain after completing the move. Holders will receive DATA tokens on Sui at a one-to-one rate. The plan preserves voting rights, locked holdings and vesting schedules.
The migration follows Sui’s October 7 offchain speed test, which recorded about 40.6 million transactions per second. The demonstration used payment channels that settle their activity on Sui.
Walrus Adds Original File Storage
Walrus will become the default storage platform for applications that DATA Foundation operates. Trace, its registry launched in June, tracks data origins and usage permissions. It also handles payments to contributors. The partnership aims to give AI laboratories training material with documented consent and usage rights.
The foundation reported more than 250 million registered contributions and average daily processing above 3 million receipts. Walrus will let Trace store encrypted originals, allowing users to check later file processing against those copies.
Data Applications and Payment Partners
The agreement follows plans for Samsung Wallet’s USDC integration on Sui, announced October 8. That service will reach eligible Galaxy users in the United States, covering around 82 million devices.
Applications using Trace include Kled, Numo and Oto. The announcement said Kled is onboarding more than 1.5 billion records. Numo and Oto license training data to AI laboratories and robotics companies.
Funding Terms and Rollout Plans
Separately, Sui announced Hashi’s planned Bitcoin finance launch on October 8, with more than $500 million in capital commitments. The platform expects to begin a phased rollout this month.
The Sui Foundation investment announcement provides no purchase price or spending breakdown. PIP Labs chief executive SY Lee will join the foundation as a strategic adviser. DATA Foundation will publish a transition timeline before the upgrade. Its existing network will keep operating until completion.
