2026-01-18 20:23:52

Honestly, at first glance, these kinds of projects are indeed not very eye-catching. They are neither flashy nor trending topics, and it's hard to explain in one sentence "why we must use them now."

But precisely because of this, they always make people want to discuss them repeatedly. The reason is actually very straightforward: they are not targeting "the most popular needs right now," but rather the obstacle that the entire Web3 ecosystem has been avoiding and will eventually have to face. And how serious is this obstacle? Most people are completely unaware that they are standing on a huge hollow.

Looking at what Web3 has done in recent years from a different perspective. Basically, all efforts have been focused on three areas: security at the consensus layer, speed at the execution layer, and convenience of transactions. Are these things valuable? Of course, and they have been almost validated.

But here’s the problem—there is a reality that has been deliberately or unintentionally ignored: the resource-consuming part is never the transactions themselves, but the data. Transactions? That’s just a few lines of state updates. But what kind of data does the real world generate? Images, videos, audio, model parameters, game assets, social content, various AI intermediate results. Once the volume of these things increases, the chain simply cannot handle it.

There are only two options in front of us: either not put data on the chain, which means losing verifiability and data permanence; or put data on the chain at a cost so high that people simply cannot afford it.

Some projects have targeted this gap from the very beginning. They are not asking the old question "Can decentralized storage be achieved," but have posed a sharper and more realistic question: when Web3 truly begins to carry large-scale content, where should this data be stored? Many storage projects are actually operating under a default assumption: the storage object itself is...

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Anon4461

· 9h ago

Wow, finally someone has touched on this point. Actually, everyone is just playing the game of trading speed and gas fees; no one wants to truly solve the hot potato that is data.

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LiquidityLarry

· 9h ago

Wake up, everyone is just competing over transaction speed, no one seriously considers where the data should be stored. Storage has indeed been seriously underestimated. Once it really gets running, you'll see. That's quite right. Right now it's all just armchair strategizing. When the costs explode, you'll realize. That's why niche projects can sometimes be gold mines. The places everyone overlooks are often the real needs. If the data problem isn't solved, Web3 will be pointless no matter how fast it is.

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Tokenomics911

· 9h ago

Damn, finally someone hit the pain point. Data storage has indeed been seriously overlooked; everyone is obsessed with TPS and Gas fees, no one remembers that the chain simply can't hold that much data. Really, Filecoin and others, hang in there, this wave of dividends will come sooner or later. Well said, this is the real issue Web3 should be focusing on. The pit of data costs will be filled sooner or later. It all depends on who can come up with a usable solution first. But with so many storage projects, it just feels like no one has truly solved that core problem. It looks simple, but actually, this is the next battlefield for Web3. Now investors are all chasing DEX and NFT, no one is thinking about storage. Agreed, data is the biggest resource-consuming factor. The previous analytical perspective was indeed biased. Honestly, although these projects are not sexy, they do the most practical work. When the content really comes online, storage costs will be a matter of life and death.

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MetaMisfit

· 9h ago

Actually, at the end of the day, it's that old problem—the storage issue is indeed a neglected Achilles' heel. Without solving data costs, no matter how fast or secure Web3 is, it's all pointless. Really, many projects keep building infrastructure, but if the infrastructure itself has vulnerabilities, who would want to use it? These kinds of things are indeed not sexy, but it might actually indicate that the core issue has been hit. Wait, so are there any projects out there seriously working on solving this? Or are they all just talking on paper? It seems most people haven't even thought about this problem at all, still messing around with Layer2 scaling, hilarious.

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DiamondHands

· 9h ago

Well... that really hits home. Everyone is playing the game of trading speed, but no one wants to fill the坑 in this fundamental infrastructure of data. It feels like a collective avoidance of an inevitable problem. --- Storage costs are indeed the invisible killer. Many projects haven't figured out how to monetize properly and are pushing users toward dead ends. --- So the core issue remains—the question of who will pay? Users certainly won't be willing to be exploited just for "verifiability." --- It's interesting; finally, someone dares to speak out. Previously, everyone was talking about Layer 2, sidechains, but in fact, they are all just bypassing this hurdle. --- It sounds like defining a new problem rather than solving a known one. We'll have to see how these projects ultimately land... --- In reality, despite the facts, who has the patience to use this kind of infrastructure project? It still feels like a pseudo-need.

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GlueGuy

· 10h ago

Well, to be honest, storage has really become the Achilles' heel of Web3. It makes some sense, but dare I ask if there are any projects that can actually reduce costs? Talking so deeply, in the end, it still comes down to whether the economic model works or not. I just want to know when it will be truly affordable; for now, it's still a game for the wealthy. The issue of data inflation should have been seriously addressed long ago. If it keeps dragging on, the entire ecosystem will suffer. Your words sound comfortable, but I remain skeptical. Show me proof. Details determine success or failure. Just saying "focus on the gap" isn't enough; there needs to be a practical implementation plan.

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