Recently, while examining cross-chain data flow, I discovered an interesting phenomenon—the market is forming a clear layered storage logic.

Simply put: raw transaction data originating from chains like Ethereum and Polygon (cold data) are usually stored in cheaper storage solutions like Arweave. However, high-value feature data that has been processed, structured, and anonymized (hot data) are stored in specialized high-performance storage layers.

Taking DeFi protocols as an example makes this clearer. A protocol might dump its complete transaction history into low-cost storage, but user behavior profiles, risk scores, and other analytical results that require frequent queries are stored in places that offer real-time access, high privacy, and compliance guarantees. This is not accidental but the market voting with its feet to select the optimal configuration.

The significance of this layered model lies in avoiding price competition with general storage protocols and instead focusing on the market segment with the highest value density. In other words, the total value of stored assets supported will far exceed physical capacity, and the value captured per unit of storage will be much greater.

The deeper impact on the ecosystem is that node income is no longer solely tied to hard drive space but more dependent on data processing and analytical capabilities. This marks a shift from selling hardware to selling capabilities, raising the ceiling of the ecosystem.