2026 has arrived, and the rapid iteration of generative AI and decentralized social protocols has highlighted the value of data. In this Web3 era, how to store vast amounts of data, where to store it, and who maintains it have become more urgent than ever. Mysten Labs' launched Walrus decentralized storage network offers its own answer with an innovative technical approach.

Many people still understand storage solutions within the traditional multi-replica backup mindset—copying data multiple times and dispersing it across different nodes. But Walrus operates on a different logic. It introduces erasure coding technology (known in the industry as "Erasure Coding"), breaking files into fine-grained shards and dispersing them across the entire network. The most impressive part is that even if more than two-thirds of the nodes go offline simultaneously, the system can still fully recover the original data. This design reduces storage costs by nearly 90%, and read speeds can keep pace with Web2 applications—making it the most solid underlying infrastructure choice for AI training tasks that frequently call large files or 4K streaming services.

By early 2026, the Walrus ecosystem is experiencing a turning point. The recent migration deadline for Tusky users (January 19) has sparked considerable industry discussion, reflecting that the entire decentralized storage track is evolving from social application-driven to AI application-driven. From its origins as a decentralized social tool to now serving AI sovereignty computing, Walrus is contemplating how to make its protocol truly become the backbone of the next generation Web3 applications.