Space and Time: Decentralized Data Warehouse Bridging AI and Web3
- Lara Hanyaloglu
- Jul 25
- 4 min read
Modern AI and analytics thrive on abundant data, but blockchain data is notoriously complex to query. Enterprises and AI developers that want to leverage on-chain data (for insights, training models, compliance, etc.) face a dilemma: either use slow, limited blockchain nodes or trust centralized data providers. Space and Time (SxT) is a startup tackling this by offering a verifiable, decentralized data warehouse that integrates on-chain and off-chain data. Founded in 2022 and backed by Microsoft’s venture fund M12, Space and Time truly launched into the market in 2024, right when demand surged for trustworthy data for AI. The key problem it solves is ensuring that data used in AI models or analytics hasn’t been tampered with. As their Head of Solutions puts it: “Verifiability has become a critical factor…bad data can erase all gains that AI delivers.". In short, Space and Time aims to be the “tamperproof Bloomberg + Snowflake for blockchain data”, which is crucial for AI (garbage in, garbage out!).
What Space and Time Does
Space and Time has built a novel “Proof of SQL” system that allows heavy data queries to run off-chain, while producing a cryptographic proof that the query result is correct and untampered. Think of it as a decentralized SQL database where you can run analytics on terabytes of blockchain data (and even join it with your off-chain datasets), and anyone consuming the result can verify its integrity. For AI use cases, this means an AI model can trust the data it’s trained on or fed: e.g., a compliance AI can query financial transactions and mathematically prove that the data wasn’t forged. Space and Time’s warehouse ingests data from all major blockchains, indexing them in a scalable way (they use a combination of decentralized nodes and off-chain storage). Developers or analysts query via SQL or an API. Uniquely, SxT also offers an AI-powered natural language interface: users can write questions in plain English and an integrated chatbot (using Azure OpenAI) translates it to SQL and executes it. This dramatically lowers the barrier for Web2 data scientists to work with blockchain data. Another key feature is combining on-chain and off-chain data: for example, a user could query “sales data from my e-commerce DB joined with on-chain wallet purchases”, bridging Web2 and Web3; very useful for AI models that need holistic data. All of this is done with decentralization in mind: multiple node operators hold the data shards and collectively compute queries, ensuring no single point of trust. By 2025, Space and Time integrated with Microsoft Azure Marketplace (so enterprises can easily plug it in) and partnered with Chainlink to feed verifiable data to smart contracts. Essentially, Space and Time is infrastructure enabling the “AI + blockchain” fusion, letting AI algorithms query blockchain history in seconds, with zero-knowledge proofs ensuring accuracy.
Token Utility, Performance, FDV
Space and Time operates its own network and earlier hinted at a future native token for network fees and validator rewards. However, to date, Space and Time has not launched a public token: it’s been focusing on enterprise adoption. Instead, it raised capital via equity and token warrants. In August 2024, Space and Time secured a $20 million Series A led by prominent crypto VCs (Framework Ventures, Lightspeed Faction, etc.), bringing total funding to $50M. Additionally, Microsoft’s M12 and Avalanche’s Blizzard fund invested earlier, signaling strong strategic backing. If and when a token comes, its utility would likely involve: paying for query compute and storage, staking by node operators to secure the network, and possibly governance over what datasets to index. Given Space and Time’s traction, one could extrapolate a sizable FDV if tokenized- for instance, similar decentralized data projects are valued in the hundreds of millions. For now, revenue comes from partnerships (some clients pay for dedicated clusters) and cloud integration deals. The performance of the project is best measured by usage metrics: they’ve reportedly indexed dozens of blockchains and have throughput to handle enterprise-scale queries (the system can answer complex SQL in sub-seconds, rivaling traditional clouds). In terms of market presence, Space and Time is less retail-hyped (no token yet) but highly regarded in B2B circles- even featured by Microsoft as a showcase for blockchain+AI synergy. Once a token exists, expect major exchanges to support it, given the profile. An interesting anecdote: Space and Time’s community node program had thousands of sign-ups, hinting at grassroots interest that could translate into a vibrant token community.
Upside & Traction
Space and Time’s upside is tied to the growing intersection of AI and blockchain in enterprises. We’re already seeing banks and auditors using its verifiable data for fraud detection AI models. If the “AI for on-chain analysis” trend grows, Space and Time could become the standard backend, analogous to how Chainlink became a standard for oracles. Early traction includes a partnership with FTI Consulting (using SxT for forensic blockchain analysis with AI), and integration into Telegram’s TON for data services. Moreover, Space and Time’s presence on Azure means any AI startup can easily pull in blockchain data to their pipelines. A major near-term milestone is likely the token launch and decentralization of the network. Right now, while query proofs are verifiable, some infrastructure is semi-centralized. Transitioning to a community-run node network (akin to The Graph’s model) will be crucial- and with it, a token economy will kick in. This could unlock a new wave of contributors (node operators) and position SxT in the Web3 stack firmly. Another milestone is broadening the AI integration: currently they support natural language query via OpenAI, but they could extend to letting AI agents directly connect (imagine an AI that autonomously queries SxT as part of its logic).
Potential upside
If successful, Space and Time might capture a chunk of the $∞ data warehousing market, especially the niche requiring provable integrity: something even giants like Snowflake can’t offer. The convergence of compliance needs, AI’s hunger for data, and DeFi’s transparency ethos all play into its favor. As a VC-style bet, Space and Time is a bit further along (Series A done) but still “under the radar” compared to similarly funded L1 projects, making it a compelling story of Web3 infrastructure meeting real-world AI demands. Keep an eye on it, as it might quietly become the data bedrock that many AI and blockchain applications build upon.
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