Aptos Labs & Jump Crypto Unveil Shelby: The Game-Changing Web3 Hot Storage Network

Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto just dropped Shelby—a decentralized hot storage solution that could finally make Web3 wallets both secure and usable. Forget clunky cold storage or sketchy custodians—this network promises instant access without the usual trade-offs.

Why it matters: Hot storage has been Web3's dirty secret—convenient but vulnerable. Shelby's decentralized architecture flips the script, letting users transact at speed while keeping keys under their control. No more choosing between security and liquidity.

The finance angle: Because nothing says 'innovation' like rebuilding basic banking infrastructure from scratch—but this time with extra steps (and gas fees). Still, if Shelby delivers, even Wall Street's legacy dinosaurs might start eyeing those APY rates.

• Shelby delivers sub-second data access for Web3 apps using Aptos’ 30,000 TPS performance.
• Built by Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto, Shelby supports Ethereum, Solana, and more chains.
• Shelby enables streaming, AI, and DePIN apps with real-time, programmable Web3 storage.

Aptos Labs and Jump crypto have launched Shelby, a decentralized hot-storage protocol engineered to deliver high-speed, high-throughput infrastructure for modern Web3 use cases. Unveiled on Tuesday, Shelby is designed for streaming video, AI data pipelines, DePIN systems and token-gated social content.

The protocol aims to close a long-standing gap in decentralized storage systems, which often lack speed and real-time responsiveness. Shelby provides cloud-grade performance while maintaining decentralized data control. 

Storage is broken. Big Tech controls data. Web3 can't rely on Web2 infra. It ends now.@ShelbyServes, Web3's 1st cloud-grade infra, by @jump_ @AptosLabs.
Decentralized, monetizable storage for data-rich apps.

Hot by design. Chain-agnostic. Incentivized.https://t.co/5upCfuzVT5 pic.twitter.com/4CRT0jI1iB

Jump Crypto contributes its expertise in low-latency and real-time infrastructure to ensure high-speed performance. The companies say Shelby will support use cases such as live video streaming, dynamic NFTs and decentralized AI training datasets.

Shelby Protocol: Aptos Labs Powers Onchain Speed

Shelby is powered by an international network of high-performance servers connected with a dedicated fiber, offering content with sub-second latency. It features edge caching, token-managed reads, usage-based pricing, DRM enforcement, and access control that involves a smart contract. All these tools operate without compromising decentralization or scalability.

Aptos Labs, known for its blockchain with 30,000 TPS and 600ms finality, provides Shelby’s coordination LAYER using its high-speed blockchain infrastructure. This technical stack supports seamless real-time interaction while keeping costs minimal. Although Aptos is the native layer, Shelby is designed to be chain-agnostic, supporting Ethereum, Solana, and other major blockchains.

Avery Ching, CEO of Aptos Labs, stated, “Shelby is not just faster—it unlocks new kinds of applications that operate in real time, scale across chains, and allow creators full control over data and economics.”

Wyoming’s WYST Stablecoin Pilot Picks Aptos and solana as Top Blockchains

Jump Crypto Backs Shelby to Unify Speed and Decentralization

Jump Crypto, a Core development partner, brings deep expertise in high-frequency infrastructure to Shelby’s architecture. Jump Crypto, renowned for its applications of real-time systems and algorithmic trading, also contributed to the creation of Shelby, which enables parallel data flows and ultra-fast reads. This guarantees that the system can support more contemporary applications such as AI inference, composable NFTs and decentralized social timelines.

“We built Shelby to end the false choice between speed and sovereignty,” said Saurabh Sharma, Partner and Head of Investments at Jump Crypto. “The ability to MOVE data at scale and monetize it natively is a leap forward for the internet.”

Early contributors include Metaplex, Pipe Network, and Story Protocol. Developers will be able to start Shelby’s experimentation phase via its devnet in Q4 2025, with the testnet rollout to follow. These utilities are likely to set a new standard in decentralized storage.

With Shelby, Aptos Labs, and Jump Crypto, the solution introduces a unique integration of Web3’s CORE principles with Web2’s real-time capabilities, unlocking scalable, monetizable infrastructure to the next generation of decentralized applications.