Recently, many people may have heard of @irys_xyz. It is a Layer 1 project established in 2021, but unlike the traditional 'storage chains' we know—this is a programmable data chain.
Meaning: It's not just about locking data in a safe but making data active, able to execute contracts, and generate revenue
In Irys, data is no longer just cold files stored via external links but can be run, interacted with, and monetized as 'living assets'.
For example 🌰:
You released a song on Irys, and this song will not only be permanently stored but will also come with a copyright contract—every time someone plays, samples, or uses it for AI training, you will automatically receive a share. This is the utility of 'programmable data'.
🔶Simply put: Irys = AWS for Crypto
Just like in web2, Amazon's AWS makes cloud computing accessible, allowing various applications to run efficiently on its infrastructure. What Irys is doing is similar to AWS, but the difference is that it targets the data itself.
Several features of Irys:
▫️EVM compatible: Developer-friendly, lowering the barrier
▫️High-performance gas-free operations: Smooth transactions, bidding farewell to high fees.
▫️Data traceability mechanism: Clarifying the origins of data and ensuring authenticity and uniqueness
▫️Deep integration of AI applications: This is the biggest area of imagination.
🔶I did a simple study and compared it with competing projects in the same track to understand why Irys has more potential to stand out.
🔸Irys vs Arweave / Filecoin
▫️Both of these are old star projects from the last cycle, but to be honest, storage is slow and costly; most importantly, they are 'dead data' that cannot execute smart contracts.
▫️Irys is a new generation architecture that is not only fast and cheap but also has a built-in EVM compatible execution environment, allowing data to be stored and logic executed simultaneously, revolutionizing old problems with a new architecture
🔸Irys vs Walrus
▫️Walrus, which is currently receiving a lot of attention in the market, has an FDV of 2 billion USD. It builds apps on Sui, and its dual-token model is complex enough
▫️But compared to it, Irys has stronger technology, a lower valuation, and institutions are genuinely using it.
If we consider Walrus as the market's recognition of data value, Irys is the more cost-effective choice
🔸Finally, let's dive deeper into Irys vs Story Protocol
The Story Protocol, which was previously studied in depth, is also a hot project recently. The price of $IP is currently soaring, but a closer look reveals that Irys's direction is actually quite different from Story.
If Story Protocol is a vertical IP registration and licensing solution, then Irys is a horizontal platform providing value for large-scale data.
Irys not only solves the problems of Story Protocol but is also more efficient and scalable
🔶Currently, institutions have also entered the market.
▫️SCAI: Directly migrated 100TB of data, creating the largest scale academic data on-chain in crypto history.
▫️Warden: Brought in 5 million real users.
▫️Plena: Contributed 1.5 million active users.
▫️Brickroad report predicts: Irys is expected to attract 127 million USD in institutional orders.
▫️Collaboration with OKX: Successfully directed over a million users to its wallet.
🔸Irys has completed two rounds of financing totaling 8.9 million USD, led by top institutions such as Lemniscap and Framework Ventures.
I turned the data into a visual chart, and you can immediately feel its magnitude.
Additionally, the Irys team previously worked on Bundlr, which increased Arweave's daily transaction volume from 10,000 to 15 million, capturing 98% of Arweave's network traffic, proving that the team understands not only technology but also how to commercialize and scale it.
🔶The perspective of ordinary users' participation
What users care about the most is, of course, how to time their entry to grab airdrops.
Just like the leaderboard shared by Wolf Cub 👇, the most direct entry point for retail participants is this project team's self-made Kaito Yapper Leaderboard event.
You can see not only global rankings but also rankings divided by regions. Usually, such rankings have regional airdrop rewards.
Later in communications with the team, I learned that the reward amount is not low (specifically mentioned that there are rewards targeting the Chinese region), so focus on that!!!
I just checked the real-time data; there are 689 people on the US chart (estimated to include Europe), 153 from the Korean region, and only 60 from the Chinese region currently listed. The expected growth rate will be rapid; the opportunities are still significant, so hurry!
The way of mouth-to-mouth has become familiar; just choose an angle and go for it.
🔶Currently, although Irys is still in the Alpha testnet stage, the mainnet and TGE are already on the verge, and the opportunity window is slowly closing 😏
For example, the official team has already released several hints:
▫️The mainnet animation has been launched.
▫️Frequently announcing new collaborations
▫️The team confirmed that no snapshot has been taken yet.
The estimated TGE should be within 1-2 months.
Ranking query 👉https://kaito.irys.xyz/
Several core accounts that help track Irys's latest dynamics:
▫️Irys Chinese community: @cn_irys_xyz
▫️CEO: @josh_benaron
▫️CMO: @misterwestwolf
▫️Protocol head: @DMacOnchain
🔶Summary
Irys is not just data storage; it makes data a programmable asset, empowering future AI, IP, SocialFi, and DePIN ecosystems.
In this era when the value of on-chain data is soaring due to the wave of AI and the digital economy, Irys, like AWS changing the cloud computing market, is expected to become the top infrastructure for Crypto data cloud.
It can be expected that data will be the next super narrative, and Irys is quietly reaping institutional orders. Retail investors have just begun to notice it; now is the best time to enter ✊