Palo Alto, California, July 24th, 2026, Chainwire
I’m really excited to see some real progress with how crypto and AI are starting to connect! It’s cool that Upbit is running a trading competition for their $DATA token – it shows they’re building a way for AI data to be bought and sold directly on the blockchain. This feels like a big step towards a new revenue model where we can actually profit from the growing world of AI.
The DATA Network has now registered over 100 million data points directly on the blockchain, and this growth is supporting a new revenue system based on actual network activity. To celebrate, Upbit, a major digital asset exchange in Korea, is hosting a four-day trading contest for $DATA – which has been available on their platform since July 8th.
From July 24th to 27th, Upbit is hosting a four-day event on their website. During the event, you can learn about $DATA by taking a quiz (available on the first and last days), deposit $DATA into your Upbit account, and complete trading challenges for a chance to win rewards based on leaderboard rankings.
This trading event is only available on Upbit. Participation is limited to eligible locations and isn’t permitted for residents of the United States or countries subject to OFAC restrictions. You can find complete details and eligibility requirements on Upbit’s official website and social media.
Users can join the 4-Day DATA Challenge here
A Network Built for Real-World AI Data
After changing its name from Story to The DATA Foundation, the organization streamlined its efforts to focus on one core mission: gathering, verifying, and preparing real-world data for AI developers. The main goal is to create valuable tools and build a sustainable, long-term revenue model for the entire network.
The Network recently released Trace, our main product, which helps AI companies prove the origin and trustworthiness of their training data. We also welcomed Kled as a key data provider to the Network.
AI development has reached a point where there’s not much useful new information publicly available on the internet for training purposes. Future AI models will rely heavily on data owned by individuals – things like personal photos, documents, and opinions – but there hasn’t been an established system for legally obtaining or compensating people for using this data. Experts estimate that a market for licensed AI training data is already worth billions of dollars and is predicted to grow rapidly over the next ten years. The Network aims to create the infrastructure for this new market, and its early success with 100 million users suggests it’s possible.
DATA’s Revenue Model
The network is currently earning significant revenue each day through transaction fees on the blockchain. These fees have surged to thousands of dollars daily – over 200 times higher than just a few weeks ago – placing the network among the top 20 blockchains by fee generation.
Every registration is a permanent onchain record through Trace: proof of what the data is, who contributed it, whether they were paid, and on what terms. Creating that record requires a fee paid in $DATA. The provenance that AI labs are willing to pay for is the same thing that generates network revenue, because it is the same event. As registrations scale into the millions per day, revenue scales with them, which is why it has climbed alongside registrations rather than in place of them.
We’re currently seeing around three to five million new registrations each day. Kled is still processing a large number of files – over a billion in total, with more than 900 million remaining. He’s registering these at a rate of over three million per day. You can track all of this activity publicly using tools like DefiLlama and our Blockscout explorer.
According to Andrea Muttoni, CEO of The DATA Foundation, the number of registered users is the key metric they monitor, as it directly reflects how much the Network is being used as intended. He believes current growth is just the beginning, with a substantial and expanding amount of contributed data, increasing app usage, and each new registration adding to a valuable, legally-compliant dataset that AI companies urgently need but struggle to find elsewhere online.
About the DATA Foundation
The DATA Foundation powers the DATA Network, which helps gather, verify, and prepare real-world information for use in artificial intelligence. It uses blockchain technology to ensure data is trustworthy, allows creators to license their work, and provides a system for paying them – ultimately helping AI developers access reliable human-generated data.
Please be aware: This Upbit trading event is run by Upbit and is only open to residents of certain countries. It is not available to people in the United States or in regions restricted by OFAC. This information is not financial advice and should not be considered an offer to buy, sell, or hold any cryptocurrency.
Contact
Henri Viès
henri.vies@piplabs.xyz
2026-07-24 19:36