According to official information, on January 29, Irys launched the first programmable data chain customized for AI, with a local EVM execution layer and unlimited data capacity. Irys testnet reached 100,000 TPS, 6,000 times faster than Filecoin and 20 times cheaper than Arweave. Irys announced the launch of its programmable data chain testnet, which is the first L1 blockchain that combines low-cost, scalable storage with EVM-compatible execution, aiming to solve key bottlenecks in AI.
Irys founder and CEO Josh Benaron said, "Irys aims to enable AI to realize new application scenarios through programmability. AI can generate unlimited digital content, and the blockchain ensures that this content is verifiable and scarce. Irys is not just about storage, it allows intelligent agents to communicate with each other, share memories, and break down isolated barriers. When agents can discover and learn from each other, they become exponentially smarter. This is just one application scenario."
Irys is the first programmable L1 data chain that goes beyond existing L1 models and is designed specifically for AI. By combining a low-cost storage layer with a high-performance, EVM-compatible execution layer (IrysVM), Irys achieves data programmability, which no other data chain has achieved. Irys was built by the Bundlr team, who successfully increased Arweave's daily transaction volume from 10,000 to 15 million and supported 98% of its activity. Irys has raised $8.9 million to date, with support from Lemniscap, Framework Ventures, Primitive Ventures, and others.
