I first became aware of the Walrus project, not because of $WAL. What truly attracted me is that in the decentralized storage track that has been mined for years, it has carved out a different direction.

In the past, when we discussed storage, the main questions in our minds were: Can the capacity be larger? Can the cost be lower? Is the data safer? Can the speed be faster? Essentially, we wanted to create a cheaper, more decentralized cloud drive. But Walrus is different. Its ambitions are not in that direction at all.

What it aims to do is upgrade storage itself into a kind of "state asset" that can be directly understood, verified, and combined on-chain. This may sound like a small difference, but it actually makes a big impact.

Think about it: the truly valuable data in on-chain applications is often too complex, making it impossible to put directly on the chain. The result is a long-term disconnection between on-chain contract logic and off-chain real data, forcing developers to make various compromises. Walrus aims to bridge this gap.

It doesn't simply dump data onto a centralized server and call it a day. Instead, it designs a native storage solution for blockchain that revolves around three core features: verifiability, traceability, and referenceability of data. With this approach, data is no longer just an accessory. It can be securely called and combined like on-chain assets through smart contracts.

What does this mean for developers? Real changes.

NFTs, blockchain games, AI datasets, DAO archives, cross-chain synchronization—these scenarios show that what truly matters is not just the transaction itself, but the complete data context behind the transaction. Walrus provides this capability, making these contexts no longer float outside the chain but become part of on-chain logic.