Sui Foundation is investing $30 million in DATA Network through a strategic partnership focused on infrastructure for AI training. Under the agreement, DATA Network will integrate its protocol with the Sui blockchain and the Walrus decentralized data storage platform.

Once the deal is finalized, Sui Foundation will become DATA Network’s largest institutional holder. Other participants will include PIP Labs and DATA Foundation.

DATA Network will fully migrate to Sui and shut down its own blockchain after completing the transition. Its DATA token will move to the new network at a 1:1 ratio.

Tokenholder rights, lockup terms and vesting schedules will remain unchanged. DATA Network’s existing infrastructure will continue operating until the transition is complete.

The developers said they would publish a detailed migration schedule and instructions for users before the upgrade begins. They have not disclosed the exact timeline for completing the migration.

AI training infrastructure

The partnership aims to give AI developers access to training data with verified provenance and usage permissions.

DATA Foundation shifted its focus to artificial intelligence solutions in June 2026 and introduced Trace, a registry designed to track information provenance, manage rights and pay rewards to data providers.

Trace has recorded more than 250 million contributions to datasets since its launch and now processes more than 3 million entries a day. The developers identified Kled, Numo and Oto among the applications using the infrastructure.

Under the agreement, Walrus will serve as the primary data storage platform for DATA Foundation applications. The system will allow encrypted copies of source materials to be stored and their authenticity verified.

Mysten Labs co-founder and chief product officer Adeniyi Abiodun said further AI development would require new sources of training data because reliance on publicly available internet content was becoming increasingly limited. He said integrating Trace with Sui and Walrus would broaden access to high-quality information with verified usage rights.

Poseidon Chairman and PIP Labs CEO Si Yang Lee will also join Sui Foundation as a strategic advisor.

The Walrus Foundation raised $140 million in March 2025 to develop decentralized data storage infrastructure.

Source: Incrypted