Data drives everything today, from AI models to financial systems, yet most of it remains locked in silos or relies on blind trust. Walrus approaches this problem from the ground up by treating data as something that can be verified, priced, and exchanged without intermediaries.
Built by Mysten Labs, the creators of Sui, Walrus is a decentralized protocol designed to handle extremely large datasets. It is purpose-built for modern use cases like AI training data, model weights, and rich digital media, where scale and integrity matter more than simple file storage.
Rather than focusing only on storage, Walrus enables data to participate in markets. Providers can publish datasets with clear ownership and rules, while users, applications, and AI agents can access data knowing its origin and authenticity can be proven. This shifts data from being a static resource into an onchain economic primitive.
A key strength of Walrus lies in trust minimization. Every dataset comes with cryptographic guarantees around availability and provenance, reducing the need to rely on centralized platforms or offchain verification. For AI developers and enterprises, this means fewer assumptions and more certainty about the inputs powering their systems.
Market interest in Walrus has grown alongside this vision. In early 2026, WAL experienced a sharp increase in visibility and trading activity, partly driven by exchange-led campaigns. While price movements fluctuate, the underlying narrative reflects rising demand for decentralized data infrastructure.
Looking ahead, Walrus is positioned to support the next generation of data-driven applications. As AI agents become more autonomous and data-hungry, protocols that can make data trustworthy and economically viable will be essential. Walrus is building the rails for that future.
