There is a project called Walrus in the Sui ecosystem, and its recent popularity is quite high. Simply put, it is doing one thing—completely changing the way decentralized storage works.

How do traditional storage protocols operate? Data is uploaded and stored as is. Walrus is different; it treats storage capacity as a programmable asset, making data no longer static but dynamic and interactive. This opens up significant possibilities for AI, gaming, DeFi, and other sectors.

Driving all of this is the WAL token. With a supply of 5 billion tokens, it sounds like a lot, but here’s a detail—over 60% is allocated to the community. Airdrops, subsidies, reserves—all included, this design aims to provide enough incentives for early participants and builders.

There are three main uses for WAL. First is storage payments—users prepay tokens for a locked period, and the fee is fixed at the fiat currency price, so they don’t have to worry about token price fluctuations. Second is node staking—delegated staking enhances network security while earning rewards. The third is governance—adjusting parameters and setting penalty rules, all decided through community voting.

The economic model is quite clever. The higher the network utilization, the greater the demand for WAL. At a certain point, deflationary effects may occur—some tokens are used for subsidies or directly burned. Nodes compete to win storage tasks, and those performing well naturally receive more staking and rewards. This dPoS mechanism not only prevents Sybil attacks but also ensures the network operates efficiently.

In practice, some projects are already following this approach. Talus AI uses it to store on-chain data, and the 3DOS network has stored millions of 3D models. The cost advantages are also quite evident—how low are storage costs? Petabyte-level data payments are very lightweight.