Data Network plans to migrate to Sui to phase out its own blockchain

DATA Network plans to migrate to Sui and phase out stand-alone blockchain

DATA Network, previously known as Story, announced plans to retire its stand-alone blockchain and migrate its AI training data protocol to Sui Network. The project said in an announcement on Monday that the transformation was supported by a $30 million investment from the Sui Foundation.

As part of this adjustment, the Trace registration system launched by the DATA Foundation in June this year will be integrated into the Sui ecosystem. Meanwhile, Walrus, a decentralized storage layer built specifically for Sui, will become the default storage component for applications operated by the DATA Foundation and its partners.

Core Points

• DATA Network is migrating its AI training data protocol from a standalone chain to Sui.
• The Trace system will be launched in June and will join the Sui ecosystem as part of the transition.
• Walrus is expected to become the default storage tier for applications operated by the DATA Foundation.
• The project company pointed out that the move was mainly due to cost considerations, including avoiding rebuilding the core infrastructure already provided by Sui and Walrus.
• DATA Network will continue to operate its existing blockchain until the migration is completed, and detailed plans will be announced later.

From "Story" to Sui-based "Full Stack" Architecture

The decision came after Story Foundation changed its name to DATA Foundation in June this year and redefined project goals. The organization is no longer just focusing on intellectual property licensing, but is committed to building what it calls a "full stack of AI training data" and using Trace to track the source of training data and the rights information it carries.

Trace is designed to provide visibility into the source of training data and licensing status. According to a spokesperson for the DATA Foundation told the media, the system is developing rapidly-more than 270 million registrations have been registered in just four months. Representatives believe that such a large scale makes it less necessary to maintain a separate blockchain dedicated to a single use case.

Why retire the dedicated chain?

A spokesperson for the DATA Foundation said that the core issues are economics and duplicate construction. Running a dedicated blockchain requires money to support verifiers, cybersecurity, and infrastructure-costs that will grow as usage increases.

"If we're going to build storage and access control ourselves at this scale, it means recreating what Sui already implemented in Walrus and Seal." The spokesperson said.

In other words, this shift is not a strategic downgrade, but more like an architectural integration. The DATA Foundation is actually shifting responsibilities, such as storage and access control, to components already built for the Sui ecosystem, rather than recreating these layers on its own chain.

The spokesperson also emphasized that Sui Foundation's $30 million investment in itself was not the only decisive factor. When asked how much the investment would affect the move, they said the investment was a separate part of a broader partnership.

Trace and Walrus become new ecological cornerstones

According to the planned transition plan, Trace will be integrated into Sui. Although Trace is currently closely related to DATA Network's approach, the announcement states that it will "join the Sui ecosystem" to align the registration system's infrastructure with the Sui Network.

At the same time, Walrus--described as a decentralized storage platform within the Sui ecosystem--will become the default storage layer operated by the DATA Foundation and its partners. This change is significant because AI training data workflows often rely on storing large amounts of data and maintaining reliable access controls. By adopting Walrus, DATA Foundation is betting on leveraging Sui's native infrastructure to meet storage and access needs.

This may simplify the integration process for users and developers. Instead of building storage and access systems around DATA Network's separate infrastructure, application operators can directly align Sui and Walrus to obtain the underlying storage layer.

Migration plan has not yet been announced

DATA Network said its existing blockchain will continue to operate until the upgrade is complete. Partners also said a detailed timetable and holder transition plan will be released before the migration begins.

这对代币持有者和交易对手至关重要，因为区块链退役通常会引发实际问题——资产如何处理、权限如何迁移，以及在过渡期间与旧系统交互的用户会发生什么。项目方表示这些细节将在升级前得到解决，但公告本身并未包含时间表。

截至目前，运营方向是明确的：Trace 正在移入 Sui，Walrus 将被定位为与 DATA Foundation 相关的默认存储层，一旦新设置就绪，独立区块链将被退役。剩下的未知数在于执行——具体而言，升级将如何排序，以及持有者将如何进行过渡。

对于投资者、开发者和数据权利利益相关者来说，接下来需要关注的关键事项包括公布的升级时间表、持有者过渡计划，以及任何确认 Trace 注册和存储/访问控制在迁移开始后如何在 Sui 上运行的技术里程碑。