DATA Network Plans to Migrate to Sui, Retire Its Own Blockchain
AI data protocol drops its own chain, joins Sui with $30M behind it
DATA Network, formerly known as Story, announced on Monday that it will retire its independent blockchain and migrate its AI training data protocol to the Sui network. The move is backed by a $30 million investment from the Sui Foundation.
The project's Trace registry, launched in June 2026, will join the Sui ecosystem. Walrus, a decentralized storage platform already operating within Sui, will become the default storage layer for applications run by DATA Foundation.
Key numbers
- $30 million investment from Sui Foundation
- 270 million+ Trace registrations in about four months
- June 2026: Story Foundation rebranded to DATA Foundation; Trace registry launched
- October 12, 2026: Migration announcement
What the project says drove the decision
A DATA Foundation spokesperson told Cointelegraph that running a dedicated blockchain (a shared digital ledger that records transactions) for a single use case meant paying for validators (nodes that verify transactions), network security, and infrastructure on its own.
"Building storage and access control at that scale ourselves would have meant rebuilding what Sui already has in Walrus and Seal," the spokesperson said.
The shift followed the June rebrand, when the project pivoted from intellectual property licensing to building what it calls a full stack for AI training data. As Trace grew past 270 million registrations in roughly four months, the representative said running a standalone blockchain for one use case no longer made sense.
Separating the investment from the decision
When asked how much the $30 million Sui Foundation investment influenced the move, the spokesperson described it as a separate part of the partnership, rather than the primary reason for migrating.
What happens next
DATA Network's existing chain will continue operating until the upgrade is finished. A detailed timeline and a holder transition plan will be published before the migration takes place, according to the partners.
Source
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