Sui Foundation has announced a $30 million investment in DATA Network as the AI-focused data protocol prepares to migrate from its independent blockchain to Sui’s infrastructure. The investment makes Sui Foundation the largest institutional holder of DATA tokens and expands Sui’s role in blockchain-based artificial intelligence data infrastructure.
Under the agreement, DATA Network and its Trace registry will transition to the Sui blockchain. Existing DATA tokens will migrate at a 1:1 ratio, while Walrus will become the default storage platform for applications operated by DATA Foundation. The current network will remain active until the migration process is completed, with a detailed schedule and instructions for token holders expected before the upgrade.
DATA Network currently operates its own blockchain designed for sourcing, tracking, and licensing data used in artificial intelligence training. Following the migration, the protocol will operate natively on Sui, allowing DATA Foundation to retire its standalone blockchain and consolidate its infrastructure within the Sui ecosystem.
The $30 million investment represents a strategic move by Sui Foundation to support AI-related blockchain infrastructure. However, the organizations have not disclosed the valuation of the investment, the size of Sui Foundation’s token position, or whether the full amount has already been transferred.
The migration also preserves existing token economics. According to the announcement, DATA holders will receive one DATA token on Sui for every existing DATA token, while locked tokens and vesting schedules will continue under their current terms. The foundations said governance rights and economic benefits will remain at least equivalent to current arrangements, though additional transition details are expected before implementation.
The partnership follows DATA Network’s broader shift toward AI training data infrastructure. Earlier in 2026, the project rebranded from Story Protocol and moved its focus from general intellectual property licensing toward systems designed to manage ownership, verification, and compensation for AI training data.
A central component of the transition is Trace, DATA Foundation’s blockchain-based registry for tracking the origin, rights, and licensing information of AI training data. The foundation reports that Trace has recorded more than 250 million contributions since launch and processes more than 3 million receipts daily, although these figures have not been independently audited in the materials reviewed.
Through the integration with Sui, Trace will operate alongside Walrus, a decentralized storage protocol within the Sui ecosystem. The combined infrastructure is intended to allow AI datasets to be registered, stored, and licensed through a connected system, while maintaining records of ownership and access conditions.
For the broader crypto and AI sectors, the partnership highlights growing competition to build infrastructure around AI data ownership and verification. As demand increases for licensed training datasets, blockchain networks are positioning themselves as potential systems for tracking provenance, payments, and access rights.
However, the success of the initiative will depend on adoption by AI developers, data contributors, and institutional users. The immediate focus remains on the technical migration, the release of token holder instructions, and whether DATA Network can expand its AI data ecosystem after moving to Sui.
