Walrus: The Missing Data Layer of Blockchain Infrastructure

@WalrusProtocol appears at a time when blockchain has expanded its computational capacity faster than data processing capabilities. Smart contracts can automate and settle transactions, but still face difficulties storing large datasets, sensitive data, and private states without relying on centralized cloud solutions.
The previous cycle showed DeFi operating well on-chain, but most applications still quietly outsource storage, weakening decentralization. As blockchain enters gaming, social networks, AI agents, enterprises, and tokenized assets, the demand for data increases sharply along with higher privacy requirements, making pure on-chain storage unsuitable.
#Walrus addresses this problem by becoming a dedicated storage and data availability layer, natively integrated with Sui. Data is encrypted on the client side, fragmented using erasure coding, and distributed across independent nodes; only a part of the fragments is needed for recovery, saving costs while ensuring availability. Access is controlled by cryptographic keys and smart contracts, while data does not need to be pulled onto the chain to keep fees low.
$WAL serves as the economic incentive for the network: paying for storage, staking for security, and governance. Walrus’s approach is not about showmanship but focuses on solving the “bottleneck” infrastructure when real data enters the blockchain. In the infrastructure era, this quiet but essential role could be a sustainable advantage.