With @jump_ entering the storage space, can @Aptos turn the tide with Shelby? @Foresight_News Jump, along with @doublezero and other top-tier projects, has joined @shelbyserves, causing $APT to surge by 30%. On the evening of June 24, Aptos announced a new storage protocol, Shelby, in collaboration with crypto giant Jump Crypto. This marks Jump Crypto's first major move since it returned to the crypto space on June 19. The news triggered a swift market reaction — #APT skyrocketed by 30%, rising from 4.2 USDT to a peak of 5.13 USDT, marking its best performance in recent times. Jump Crypto had previously invested in Aptos Labs' $150 million Series A funding round in 2022, known for its "community building" capabilities and engineering prowess. For instance, Jump is a major contributor to the highly anticipated validator client @jump_firedancer for Solana. As the first high-profile project since Jump's return, Shelby has brought renewed attention to Aptos and the "imagination space" for ecological synergy and prosperity. However, there are doubts. With Sui having launched the storage protocol Walrus first, is Aptos merely copying a competitor's strategy? Let's delve into Shelby. 1️⃣ Shelby, the "Hot Storage Protocol" From cold to hot: A paradigm shift in Web3 storage. In the narrative of Web3 infrastructure, decentralized storage has always been an unavoidable topic. However, this field has long been dominated by "cold storage": suitable for storing low-frequency access, long-term preserved data, such as NFT metadata and backups. Typical representatives include @Filecoin and @ArweaveEco, which emphasize durability and cost optimization but may not be suitable for high-frequency, real-time scenarios. Shelby proposes a "hot storage" solution to address this pain point. According to the official definition, Shelby is the world's first "cloud-grade infrastructure" in the Web3 space, featuring sub-second read times, native incentive mechanisms, and chain-agnostic compatibility. It not only allows data to be stored but also makes it flowable, usable, and quantifiable, serving applications in Web3 that require high real-time performance, such as video streaming, AI outputs, dynamic NFTs, and gaming assets. Currently, Shelby has chosen #Aptos as its preferred settlement layer, leveraging its 600 ms finality, 30,000 TPS, and ultra-low gas fees to coordinate real-time data flows. Shelby is set to launch its developer testnet in Q4 2025. Aptos Labs CEO @AveryChing pointed out in a personal article: "The exchange of Web3 assets can already be done in seconds, but data remains in a static and difficult-to-use state. Shelby aims to solve this critical bottleneck." With Jump backing it, Shelby is not just about being "fast." If Aptos is known for high concurrency and high throughput, then Jump Crypto is a veteran in high-frequency trading and real-time systems. The reason Shelby dares to claim "hot storage" lies in the characteristics of its underlying architecture: 1. High-speed synchronization of global nodes supported by a dedicated fiber backbone; 2. Ensuring content localization and read speeds as fast as sub-second through an edge caching system; 3. Utilizing a Clay code redundancy mechanism to reduce replication costs while ensuring repair efficiency; 4. A native encryption + paid reading mechanism that supports usage-based monetization logic; 5. Supporting smart contracts to define access control and DRM, providing one-stop processing from data distribution to copyright protection. This design is not just about creating a faster @IPFS (the most well-known decentralized storage network) but attempts to merge Web2 performance standards with Web3 decentralization principles, creating a programmable, monetizable, and scalable data circulation network. 2️⃣ Top-tier projects joining, community discussions are heated. The price of $APT quickly surged by about 30%, not only due to Jump Crypto's endorsement but also because of the luxurious lineup of ecological projects attracted by Shelby — @Metaplex, @StoryProtocol, @DoubleZero, etc. These are not only the most active data-intensive applications in the industry but also representatives exploring the value of Web3 data across various chains. Metaplex is rooted in Solana, while DoubleZero was founded by @Austin_Federa, the former strategy head of Solana. The participation of Solana ecosystem projects deeply involved with Jump in building the Aptos ecosystem raises the question: does Shelby really have something substantial behind it, gaining recognition from everyone? The community's interpretation of Shelby is also exceptionally positive. Some compare it with @WalrusProtocol, pointing out that the purposes served by the two are vastly different: Walrus leans towards cold storage and archiving, while Shelby targets real-time usage and revenue distribution; the former relies on low-frequency access and audit incentive mechanisms, while the latter transforms each data read into a payment action, fundamentally incentivizing the enhancement of data readability. Moreover, some viewpoints suggest that Shelby's encryption + paid reading mechanism provides a paradigm breakthrough for the long-standing "reading incentive" problem in the field of Data Availability. In contrast to projects like @Celestia and Walrus, which still rely on external funding subsidies to maintain services, Shelby directly incorporates user behavior into an economic closed loop, encouraging nodes to actively maintain data availability. 3️⃣ A higher vision: More than just a comeback for Aptos. The launch of Shelby is undoubtedly an important move for Aptos seeking ecological breakthroughs, but its broader significance may lie in its attempt to deeply integrate the concepts of "data as a native asset" with content economy, creator economy, and on-chain infrastructure. This not only serves Aptos itself but also radiates to the entire multi-chain world through its "chain-agnostic" characteristics. Aptos Labs has repeatedly emphasized Shelby's composability and cross-chain capabilities in its announcement: whether you are deploying dynamic NFTs on Solana or building RAG models on Ethereum Layer 2, Shelby can achieve rapid access and revenue linkage through standardized interfaces. It will also expand to on-chain environments like Cosmos and Modular Stack in the future. Combining Aptos's existing Global Trading Engine value transfer engine, Shelby complements the value generation side: the former allows assets to flow freely, while the latter enables content to become assets with measurable value. The two complement each other, and Aptos is attempting to create an on-chain economic closed loop. 4️⃣ In conclusion: The possibilities and challenges of a comeback. From technical design to collaboration lineup, from ecological landing to market sentiment, Shelby is undoubtedly a high-scoring answer sheet that Aptos has delivered at the infrastructure level. While Walrus's large airdrop ignited the ecological wealth effect of @SuiNetwork, Aptos was once seen as a "bystander"; now, with Jump's backing, Shelby may be the breakthrough point for it to re-enter the central narrative. Of course, challenges remain: difficulties in performance realization, developer migration costs, early ecological cold starts... all of these will be the real issues Shelby faces next. But at least from a market and technical perspective, Aptos is no longer satisfied with being a "faster and cheaper public chain"; it is seeking innovation and change, betting on a new paradigm of on-chain economy driven by data. When hot data truly starts to flow, the next wave of Web3 may bring Aptos back to the center stage.