Key highlights:
- Sui Foundation is investing $30 million in DATA Network as the project prepares to move its protocol to Sui.
- Trace has recorded over 250 million contributions and handles more than 3 million receipts each day, on average.
- Walrus will become the main storage system for DATA Foundation apps, making it possible to store files securely and control who can access them.
- The $DATA token will move to Sui using a one-to-one ratio. Any locked or vesting positions will remain unchanged.
Sui Foundation and DATA Foundation just shared their plans to bring DATA Network and the Trace registry onto the Sui platform. They are targeting the need for training data that AI companies can actually use legally. With this integration, Trace’s system for tracking where data comes from and who owns it will team up with Walrus, which will store the original files and manage access for buyers with proper licenses. Sui Foundation is also sinking $30 million into DATA Network as part of the deal.
This shift is happening as AI developers search for new material beyond what is already published online. Data that is collected directly from people can give valuable insight, but there are questions about getting consent, figuring out who owns the data, and knowing if everything is legal. By bringing together data registration, storage, and licensing tools, the project hopes to make it easier for AI labs to find and verify the information they need.
Trace Addresses the Growing Demand for Verified Data
AI companies need more than large volumes of information to develop new models. They also need to establish where their training material originated and whether they have permission to use it. The EU AI Act and ongoing court cases around training data have put a spotlight on tracking the origins of data for AI labs and their legal teams.
A lot of the information needed for future models comes directly from people, not just websites like medical records, dashcam videos, factory repair clips, and customer conversations in different languages. Since this kind of data can include personal or regulated details, getting clear permission and setting up proper access rules is absolutely necessary.
DATA Foundation launched Trace in June 2026 as a way to log the source of each contribution, keep track of rights, and handle payments for contributors. Since then, the registry has documented more than 250 million contributions and processes over 3 million receipts every day.
Several apps have already adopted Trace. There is Kled, a human data marketplace (opt-in) that is adding over 1.5 billion records. Numo and Oto use Trace too, licensing data for AI labs and robotics firms. All this activity gives the integration a steady supply of data and proven demand for licensing.
The next generation of AI needs real-world data from people, with consent and provenance built in.
@datafdn’s DATA Network and Trace, a registry with 250M+ receipts, are joining Sui and @WalrusProtocol to scale rights-cleared AI training data.
Learn more:https://t.co/p1H3BAQCAH
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) OCTOBER 12, 2026
Sui and Walrus Combine Data Records With File Storage
This integration will bring different parts of the data process into one place. Sui lets assets work as programmable objects, so labs can manage datasets and licenses right on the chain. Its fast, parallel transaction processing means it can handle millions of registrations daily, with settlement times under a second.
Walrus will handle the storage side. It is built to store massive datasets and restrict access to only those buyers with licenses. With the integration, Trace will keep encrypted, unchangeable copies of each contributed file as proof.
That makes checking data records a lot easier. Right now, Trace can tell you a file was registered and when it happened. If Trace also has the original file through Walrus, labs can recreate its hash from the actual data, instead of just relying on application metadata. That means you can compare later versions or altered files directly to the original to spot any changes.
DATA Foundation CEO Andrea Muttoni mentioned the possibility of using fully verifiable trusted execution environments (TEEs) for future data evaluations and fine-tuning, but that is more of a maybe for now, not something included in this integration yet.
$DATA Migration and Strategic Investment
Sui Foundation’s $30 million investment makes it the largest institutional stakeholder in DATA Network, joining PIP Labs and DATA Foundation. SY Lee, chairman of Poseidon and PIP Labs, will join Sui Foundation as Strategic Advisor.
As DATA Network moves its protocol onto Sui, its old independent chain will eventually shut down. The $DATA token will transfer to Sui at a 1:1 ratio. Holder benefits and governance rights would not drop below their current level, and locked or vesting tokens will stay as they are.
The old network will keep running until everything is upgraded. DATA Foundation and Sui have not published the exact migration timeline or holder transition plan yet, but that information should come out before the upgrade happens.
