This is a big moment for Ethereum's ecosystem: Golem DB is evolving into Arkiv. For the Golem ecosystem, data has always been the elephant in the room; absolutely essential for all organisations, with significant cost and data-capture / data-storage issues that exponentially grow over time.

Our mission is to make data truly autonomous, available, and user-owned. We just hope the elephant in the room will eventually leave. While it remains, we continue building. If you're new to Golem, or curious how Arkiv fits into the bigger picture, this is the place to start. Here's the problem we're solving, why it matters now, and how you can get involved.

What is the 'Data problem'?

Data is literally the lifeblood of every organisation. As technology becomes ever more refined, the sheer volume of data increases. Yet most of it is trapped.

• Web2 data is centralised: locked in servers, vulnerable to censorship, and ultimately rented rather than owned. If a cloud service provider pulls the plug, your platform disappears. Even the largest org in the world with unlimited resources struggle to secure their data in a cost effective and responsive way.
• Web3 data is nascent: often expensive, slow, and rigid. It's been optimized for storing and transferring value (e.g. assets such as Blockchain-based tokens), but never meant for data-native use cases.

The result? Organisations face a false choice, when it comes to data:

• Sacrifice control for convenience (Web2) by picking one of many battle-tested databases, or
• Sacrifice usability for principles (Web3) and build on top of technology not meant for data-centric use cases.

You can see the contours of the data elephant, right? Neither side has delivered a truly flexible, user-owned data infrastructure at scale. Until Arkiv.

What is Arkiv?

The world has changed. Applications are becoming more modular, DePIN networks are growing, and enterprises are exploring decentralised infrastructure with real intent. Arkiv aims to improve the utility of the whole Ethereum ecosystem by introducing a data-centric approach with an affordable Data Availability Layer.

• Arkiv is a Layer 2 network on Ethereum, acting as a gateway to multiple Layer 3 Database Chains (DB-Chains).
• Each DB-Chain functions as a specialized data layer, tailored for both Web2 and Web3 applications.
• A data availability and management layer that combines Web2 usability with Web3 trustlessness.
• Query language that feels familiar and expiry-based fees. You only pay for what you need, for as long as you need it.
• A composable architecture ready for marketplaces, RWA, DePIN, and beyond.

How can Arkiv help?

While Arkiv's heart and soul starts at the core of Web3 principles, its vision is to reach far beyond this space.

• Web3 Developers: Get a reliable, fast to query, Ethereum-native data layer without reinventing the wheel.
• Web2 Innovators: Your data, replicated worldwide by default. A global database you don't have to host or manage.
• DePIN Builders: Launch transparent, resilient marketplaces with data that's instantly propagated across the network.

Under the Arkiv Hood

Under the hood, Arkiv is:

• Ethereum-native: working seamlessly across L2 ecosystems.
• Optionally Structured & Composable: think database-like, not just raw storage.
• Cost-optimised: architecture based on multiple L2 and multiple L3s.

You can explore Arkiv's foundations in our lite paper.

Join the Arkiv Community

Arkiv believes in a future where data is open, trustless, permissionless, and serverless.

• Follow us on X, join the discussion on Discord.
• Read the Arkiv Lite Paper.
• Start building: whether you're running a dApp, an enterprise platform, or a DePIN marketplace!
• Get Funding: Golem Ecosystem Fund will soon be offering funding opportunities for unique projects and early adopters.

The elephant is no longer in the room. With Arkiv, it's finally free to roam.