DATA Network plans to shut down its standalone blockchain and move its artificial-intelligence training data protocol to the Sui ecosystem, in a transition supported by a $30 million investment from the Sui Foundation.
The project, previously known as Story, said its Trace registry will become part of Sui. Walrus, a decentralized storage platform within the Sui ecosystem, is also set to become the default storage layer for applications run by the DATA Foundation and its partners. The changes were reported by Cointelegraph.
Why DATA is leaving its own chain
DATA Network said operating a blockchain for a single use case required it to bear the expense of validators, network security and infrastructure. The organization concluded that continuing to maintain those components independently was no longer practical as its data registry expanded.
A DATA Foundation spokesperson told Cointelegraph that developing storage and access-control systems at the required scale would have involved recreating capabilities already available through Sui’s Walrus and Seal platforms. The migration is therefore intended to place DATA’s AI training data infrastructure within an existing blockchain ecosystem rather than maintain a separate network.
The current DATA Network will remain operational until the upgrade is finished. The project said it will publish a detailed schedule and a plan for transitioning holders before the migration takes place.
From intellectual property to AI training data
The move follows the Story Foundation’s rebrand as the DATA Foundation in June. Alongside the name change, the organization shifted its focus from intellectual-property licensing to what it described as a full-stack platform for AI training data.
It also introduced Trace, a registry designed to record the origin of training data and its licensing rights. Trace launched in June and recorded more than 270 million registrations in roughly four months, according to the project. DATA said that growth made operating an independent blockchain for a single application less compelling.
The $30 million investment from the Sui Foundation is part of the partnership, but DATA said the funding and the decision to migrate were separate matters. The project has not yet released the detailed upgrade timeline or holder transition arrangements.
Current market picture
Moneyiar market data at the stated times shows Sui’s SUI token at $1.0513321576 at 09:53 on October 13, 2026, down 5.79% over 24 hours and 12% over seven days.
The Data Network’s DATA token was priced at $0.2041775667 at 09:54 on October 13, down 0.87% over 24 hours and 0.84% over seven days. These market movements are presented as Moneyiar data and do not indicate the outcome of the planned migration.
