Storage is undergoing a quiet paradigm shift in Web3.

If you've followed the development of Walrus Protocol, you'll find that it's much more than just another decentralized storage project. This data layer built on the Sui network is creating a self-reinforcing value flywheel—and this flywheel could ultimately define the infrastructure of the next-generation internet.

**How Technical Advantages Kickstart the First Loop of the Flywheel**

Walrus's technical approach isn't mysterious, but it is powerful. What is the core advantage brought by Red Stuff erasure coding technology? Simply put, it's cost. Compared to traditional storage solutions, this technology can achieve cost optimization by a hundredfold. Coupled with Sui's native programmability and integration with infrastructure like Pipe Network, Walrus has quickly attracted projects with real needs.

Swarm Network is working on decentralized AI, Humanity Protocol handles digital identity, and there are blockchain games and NFT ecosystems—all of these are not fringe applications. Their emergence isn't driven by marketing but by technology genuinely solving problems. The existence of early adopters itself validates feasibility.

**How Growing Ecosystem Data Volume Reinforces Token Demand**

As more top-tier projects store their core data assets on Walrus, what will happen to the total data flow (TVS) circulating in the network? It will continue to expand. Access frequency will also rise.

What does this mean? It means increasing demand for storage capacity and for paying with $WAL tokens (the network's settlement method). Node operators' earnings will rise accordingly, attracting more participants to run nodes, thereby strengthening the network's decentralization and resilience. This isn't circular reasoning; it's a natural extension of economic incentives.

**How Network Effects Build a Moat**

Once the Walrus network hosts a large amount of high-value data, with nodes distributed worldwide performing full redundancy backups, and with deep integration with top execution layers like Sui, what will migration cost look like? Astronomical.

At this point, ecosystem projects are not "choosing" Walrus—they are "relying" on Walrus. This dependency becomes a moat. It will create extremely high barriers in the data storage niche for Walrus.

**What the Default Data Layer Looks Like**

Here's an interesting imagination: future Web3 application developers won't deliberately "choose" which storage solution to use. Just as you don't worry about whether to use TCP/IP when coding now, storage will become a default underlying layer. You might not even notice its presence, but the entire network's data will be there—secure, efficient, economical.

Walrus aims to be that "invisible engine." It doesn't seek direct user perception but strives to become foundational. This kind of ambition is the most valuable in infrastructure.

Where are we on this journey? Just beginning.