DATA Network is shutting down its independent Layer 1 blockchain to operate as a native protocol on Sui, with the Sui Foundation backing the migration through a $30 million investment. The move represents a significant infrastructure change for a project that launched its own chain less than two years ago.
The migration was announced on October 8, 2026, by Eman Abio, identified as a co-founder of Sui, at Sui ecosystem events. DATA will integrate with Walrus Protocol, a decentralized storage layer, to handle storage and data coordination as part of the transition.
Shift toward AI data infrastructure
DATA's current focus centers on AI training data services, including data provenance, licensing, and auditing. The network's auditing tool, Trace, is designed to track data origins and usage permissions.
As of October 2026, DATA had logged over 250 million on-chain data registrations through applications built on it, including Kled and Numo. Kled separately recorded over 1.5 billion user-contributed data records. The network registers data provenance on-chain without exposing raw datasets.
From programmable IP to AI data
DATA launched in February 2025 as an EVM-compatible Layer 1 chain focused on programmable intellectual property and automated licensing. The project rebranded from Story Protocol to the DATA Foundation on June 25, 2026, with IP token holders migrated to the new DATA token on a 1:1 basis.
The rebrand reflected a strategic pivot toward infrastructure for AI training data, responding to rising demand from AI developers for verifiable datasets gathered with consent.
Key considerations for stakeholders
The $30 million commitment reflects broader competitive dynamics in blockchain, where foundations increasingly use capital commitments to attract application migrations. If DATA's registrations and datasets flow through Walrus for storage, the migration could drive increased data activity and storage demand on that protocol.
Token holders and developers will face practical adjustments. The migration path for applications currently built on DATA's EVM-compatible chain to Sui's distinct programming model remains a key detail as the transition proceeds.
