Walrus RFP: How Walrus Is Paying Builders to Strengthen Web3’s Memory Layer
Most Web3 projects talk about decentralization in theory. Walrus is doing something more concrete: it is actively funding the parts of Web3 that usually get ignored long-term data availability, reliability, and real infrastructure.
The Walrus RFP program exists because decentralized storage is not something that fixes itself automatically. You don’t get durable data just by launching a protocol. You get it by supporting builders who stress-test the system, extend it, and push it into real use cases.
That is exactly what Walrus is trying to do with its RFPs.Why Walrus Even Needs an RFP ProgramWalrus is not a consumer app. It is infrastructure. And infrastructure only becomes strong when many independent teams build on top of it.A single core team cannot anticipate every use case: AI datasets behave differently than NFT media
Enterprise data needs different access controls than public contentGames need persistence, not just availabilityWalrus RFPs exist to invite builders into these problems instead of pretending the protocol alone can solve everything.
Rather than waiting for organic experimentation, Walrus explicitly asks: “What should be built next, and who is best positioned to build it?”What Kind of Work Walrus Is FundingWalrus RFPs are not about marketing or surface-level integrations. They focus on things that directly improve the network’s usefulness and resilience.
This includes: – Developer tooling that makes Walrus easier to integrate Applications that use Walrus as a core data layer, not a backupResearch and improvements around data availability, access control, and reliability
Real production use cases that push storage beyond demosThe important detail is this: Walrus is not funding ideas that treat storage as an afterthought. It is funding projects where data persistence is the product, not a side feature.
How This Connects to the
$WAL TokenThe RFP program is tightly connected to the
$WAL token’s long-term role.Walrus does not want usage that spikes once and disappears. It wants systems that store data and depend on it over time. When builders create real applications using Walrus, they create: Ongoing storage demandLong-term node incentivesEconomic pressure for reliability
That is where
$WAL becomes meaningful. It is not a reward for speculation. It is a coordination mechanism that ties builders, storage operators, and users into the same long-term incentives.
RFP-funded projects accelerate this loop by turning protocol capability into actual dependency.Why This Matters for Web3 InfrastructureMost Web3 failures don’t happen at launch. They happen later.
When attention dropsWhen incentives weakenWhen operators leaveWhen old data stops being accessed
Storage networks are especially vulnerable to this slow decay. Walrus RFPs are one way the protocol actively fights that outcome. By funding real builders early, Walrus increases the number of systems that cannot afford Walrus to fail.
That is how infrastructure becomes durable not by promises, but by dependency.Walrus Is Building an Ecosystem, Not Just a ProtocolThe RFP program shows that Walrus understands something many projects miss:decentralized infrastructure survives through distributed ownership of responsibility.
By inviting external builders to shape tooling, applications, and research, Walrus is making itself harder to replace and harder to forget.
It is not trying to control everything.It is trying to make itself necessary.In the long run, that matters more than shortterm adoption metrics.Walrus is not just storing data.It is investing in the people who will make Web3 remember.That is what the RFP program is really about.
@Walrus 🦭/acc #Walru $WAL