2026-01-07 10:25:08

In 1977, NASA sent the Voyager Golden Record into space, hoping to leave a trace for future civilizations. The true significance of that record isn't in the technology itself, but in a simple consensus: once information loses its carrier, civilization is cut off.

In the Web3 and AI era, we are actually facing a seriously overlooked problem—the storage of data.

Blockchain solves the problem of "how to reach consensus," but has never considered "how to make data last longer." So now, many on-chain projects dump their most important assets into centralized storage: images, videos, AI models, transaction records. When everything is calm, no one cares; but if these storage providers fail or run away, those "eternal" promises on the chain become hollow shells.

A new approach is beginning to fill this missing infrastructure.

It’s not simply about "storing more data," but about redesigning how data survives. Using erasure coding technology, data is fragmented and dispersed across different nodes. If any node fails, the system automatically repairs itself, eliminating the need for redundant backups and controlling costs. More flexibly, this system allows data to be updated, managed, and called by smart contracts, rather than being rigidly "frozen forever."

The truly interesting point lies in programmability.

Leveraging the foundation of mainstream public chains, proof of data availability, access permissions, and data retention periods are encoded into on-chain rules. Data no longer depends on the promises and online status of a specific service provider but becomes part of the protocol itself. This logic perfectly aligns with the next wave of demands: AI needs a trustworthy data pipeline that won't break, on-chain social needs content that is never lost, and real-world asset data requires long-term traceability. All of these cannot be built on unreliable storage.

Tokens serve as the fuel and regulatory mechanism for the entire network. As data scales explode, the value of such infrastructure networks won't come from short-term hype but from genuine usage needs and ongoing transaction activity.

Digital civilization is also seeking its memory carriers. And it is beginning to find them.

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On-ChainDiver

· 01-07 16:19

The analogy of Traveler's Gold Record is brilliant, and the pain points are well articulated. But I still feel a bit pessimistic, as I believe most on-chain projects don't really care about this aspect; as long as they can get on the chain, it's enough.

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ContractBugHunter

· 01-07 10:43

To be honest, on-chain data storage is indeed a hidden pit. Another "eternal and unchanging" story, but the core data all relies on third parties... this logic doesn't hold up. The erasure coding approach is good, but how many projects can actually implement it now?

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SillyWhale

· 01-07 10:38

I've already said it, centralized storage is a ticking time bomb. It's a bit late to start paying attention now. This logic is actually better than gold records; true permanent storage should be played like this. Honestly, most projects are still dreaming, thinking that the chain alone can solve everything. Erasure coding sounds complicated, but just thinking about it feels right. Data dying is the real fracture of civilization, no doubt about it. I'm optimistic about this direction; it's definitely better than letting some centralized big boss hold the power of life and death. It feels like the next wave of infrastructure competition is here—whoever gets it right first wins.

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SignatureCollector

· 01-07 10:37

This is what Web3 should be doing; everything before was just nonsense.

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WhaleWatcher

· 01-07 10:37

The analogy of the gold record is brilliant. Now, many projects on the chain are just relying on centralized storage to survive; sooner or later, they'll crash. Storage is indeed a fundamental infrastructure that has been overlooked. The erasure coding solution sounds much more reliable. Do your own research (DYOR). Don't just look at the token price; check whether there is real storage demand. This is what Web3 should be doing, not just constantly harvesting retail investors. Data never gets lost? That depends on whether the nodes are truly alive. Can you really trust that? That's still a question mark.

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