“The airdrop was snapped up in half an hour after going live, with the first day's trading volume surpassing $140 million!” On November 25, the data infrastructure project Irys went live on its mainnet, while its token $IRYS was listed on Binance Alpha, sparking a frenzy in the market. As one of the first projects to launch in Binance's Innovation Zone 2.0 in 2025, Irys is referred to in the industry as the “ultimate blade of data infrastructure” due to its ultra-high throughput of 100,000 TPS, storage costs only 1/20th of Arweave, and its core advantage of “integrated storage and execution.” Many investors have asked me behind the scenes: What exactly makes Irys strong? Is the data infrastructure sector worth investing in? Today, I will provide an in-depth analysis from three aspects: the project's core logic, investment value, and key points to avoid pitfalls.
First, understand Irys's core competitiveness, which is the key to judging project value. Traditional blockchain has always had a 'deadlock': computation chains excel at execution but have almost no low-cost storage, while storage chains are good at preservation but completely lack execution capability. For example, Arweave can only store data and cannot execute smart contracts, while Filecoin's throughput is only 17 TPS, which cannot meet the needs of large-scale applications. Irys's solution can be described as a 'dimensionality reduction strike': it combines storage and execution into one native layer, achieving a theoretical peak of 100,000 TPS through three core modules: the IrysVM execution layer (completely EVM compatible), an infinitely verifiable storage layer, and programmable data assets, with a single GB storage cost as low as $0.003. This 'storage + execution' integrated model perfectly solves the pain points of traditional blockchain and makes Irys a 'potential stock' in the data infrastructure race.
Now let’s talk about the important significance of Irys landing on Binance Alpha. Binance Alpha has extremely strict selection criteria for projects, requiring a TVL of over $100 million, backing from top institutions, and real cash flow. Irys is currently the only data infrastructure project that meets all three conditions. This means that Irys has already gained recognition from top exchanges and will gain more liquidity and exposure in the future. From the perspective of token economics, $IRYS has a total supply of 1 billion, with an initial circulation rate of only 15%-18%, which is far lower than Arweave and Filecoin in the same race. Additionally, 100% of the protocol income is used for market buybacks, providing a strong deflationary attribute. This scarcity, combined with the traffic support from Binance, is the core reason for the surge of $IRYS after its launch.
For ordinary investors, when laying out in the data infrastructure race, it is not enough to focus only on the Irys project; one must also grasp the 'race selection logic'. My view is that data infrastructure is the 'underlying architecture' of Web3. With the explosion of applications like AI agents and on-chain social, the demand for efficient data storage and execution will continue to grow, and the long-term value of this race is worth looking forward to. However, one should avoid three misconceptions when laying out: First, looking only at technical parameters without considering application scenarios: Some projects may have impressive technical parameters but lack real-world applications and will ultimately become 'air projects'. It is essential to prioritize platforms that have already hosted ecological projects, such as Irys, which had over 300 ecological projects ready when it launched. Second, blindly chasing newly launched projects: New projects can be highly volatile in their early stages; for instance, $IRYS surged 243% on its first day, but there may be a subsequent pullback. It is recommended to adopt a 'stair-step accumulation' method to avoid entering at peak points. Third, ignoring the project team's background: Data infrastructure projects have very high requirements for technical teams, so it’s important to check the past experiences of core members. For example, the founder of Irys led 95% of the transaction volume in the Arweave ecosystem and has deep industry experience.
Let me share a few 'track project selection tips' that I often use. First, look at TVL and ecological activity: Check the changes in a project's TVL through DeFi Llama, as well as the number of active projects within the ecosystem. Projects with continuously growing TVL and increasing ecological projects have greater investment value. Second, analyze the technological moat: Focus on whether the core technology of the project has irreplaceability. For example, does Irys’s 'storage + execution integration' technology have other projects that can achieve similar functions? The higher the technological barrier, the stronger the project's competitiveness. Third, pay attention to institutional endorsements: Investments from top institutions often provide resource support for projects. For example, Irys has received investments from over 20 institutions, including Framework Ventures and CoinFund. These endorsements can reduce the project's default risk.
Finally, I remind everyone: although the data infrastructure race has broad prospects, there are still certain risks, such as technological iteration risks and regulatory policy risks. Ordinary investors should control their positions, ensuring that the proportion of single-track investments does not exceed 20% of total funds and that investments are diversified across 3-5 different subfields, such as storage, computation, data security, etc. In addition, there are many in-depth analyses of data infrastructure projects on Binance Square, and everyone can analyze them in conjunction with the project's white paper and on-chain data to avoid blindly following investment trends. I will continue to track the ecological progress of popular projects like Irys and share the latest layout opportunities on Binance Square. Follow me @链上标哥 so you don’t get lost! Let’s seize the investment opportunity in the underlying architecture of Web3!
