Irys Financing and Innovative Thoughts on Data Storage @irys_xyz Looking at Irys recently securing $10 million in Series A funding, I suddenly recalled my naive understanding of data storage when I first entered the industry. 1. Limitations of Traditional and Web3 Data Storage Back then, I thought data was just files stored on hard drives. It wasn't until I truly engaged with Web3 projects that I realized the value of data on the chain is far more than just "storage". Traditional blockchain data storage is outrageously expensive; storing a few GB of data on Ethereum could bankrupt you. While projects like Arweave solve the problem of permanent storage, the data is like dead assets locked in a safe—you can prove it exists, but you can't make it "come alive". 2. Irys's Innovation and Programmable Data Irys's approach opened my eyes: making data programmable. What does that mean? Imagine that every piece of data you store can carry a smart contract, automatically executing authorization, payments, and access control. Data is no longer static files but intelligent agents that can "think" and "act". This concept may sound abstract, but the scenarios are quite specific: AI training data can charge automatically, giving creators a share every time it's called. Trading strategies can be packaged and sold directly, with buyers paying each time they use it. User behavior data can have privacy levels set, with different permissions at different prices. 3. Irys's Actual Performance, Advantages, and Future Outlook What excites me even more is that Irys has already processed over 600 million data transactions, supporting 4 million daily active wallets. This is not just proof of concept; it's a real infrastructure in operation. The cost advantage is also evident—it's cheaper than traditional cloud storage and 6000 times faster than other Web3 storage solutions. The key is that the pricing model is anchored to physical storage costs rather than token market fluctuations, which is crucial for enterprise clients. What I am most optimistic about is its integration with AI. Everyone is talking about DeFAI now, but the data layer has always been a shortcoming. AI agents need memory, context, and verifiable data sources. Irys just happens to provide such a "memory layer"—transforming AI from a stateless execution machine into an intelligent agent that can learn and evolve. Of course, challenges are also apparent. A $30 trillion data market sounds huge, but to truly enable data creators to gain value, the entire ecosystem needs to cooperate. Moreover, competition with established projects like Arweave and Filecoin will be fierce. But I believe the direction is right. Data is becoming the new oil, and what Irys aims to do is build the refinery—not just store data, but enable data to generate value. In this era of deep integration between AI and blockchain, whoever can solve the problem of data programmability will seize the opportunity of the next decade.