Filecoin Network by Filecoin Foundation / Protocol Labs: status and timeline

Filecoin Network

Enable distributed data storage using economic incentives and blockchain verification, competing with centralized cloud providers.

ScalingStage 5 of 5

25+ exabytes stored across thousands of providers; core network stable since mainnet 2020.

Updated Oct 2020Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Onchain Cloud features expand (video, ML training datasets)

Filecoin whitepaper released15 Jul 2014Complete.
Filecoin mainnet launchOct 2020Complete.
25+ exabytes stored on networkJun 2025Complete.
Filecoin Onchain Cloud mainnet launch26 Mar 2026Complete.

Most important updates

Filecoin mainnet launches after 6 years of developmentOct 2020

Upcoming

Q4 2026Onchain Cloud features expand (video, ML training datasets) (next)
2027Integration with major AI platforms

Current obstacles

Competitive pricing against centralized cloudFilecoin must achieve cost parity with AWS and Azure while supporting independent providers.
Retrieval speed optimizationRetrieval from decentralized providers is slower than centralized datacenters; caching and geographic optimization are ongoing.

Physics limits

Latency fundamentalsRetrieval from a distributed network of independent nodes will always be slower than a single well-connected datacenter, unless nodes are geographically proximate to the client.
Storage cost economicsProviders must cover hardware, power and network costs; FIL token price volatility makes it difficult to forecast profitability and plan capacity expansion.

How it works

3 parts

Storage

Providers store data and post proofs

Storage providers receive data, store it on redundant hardware, and regularly post proofs to the blockchain.

Retrieval

Clients request and pay for data

To retrieve data, clients query the network, negotiate with providers and pay per byte retrieved. Providers are incentivized to respond quickly and correctly.

Slashing

Punishment for fraud or outage

Providers lock collateral in the blockchain. Faulty proofs or inability to retrieve data triggers confiscation of collateral, penalizing misbehavior.

Spec sheet

Spec	Filecoin Network
Active storage providers	Thousands^R (reported)
Onchain Cloud storage (launch)	49.41 TiB^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Oct 2020

Major: Filecoin mainnet launches after 6 years of developmentPressSoftware

About Filecoin Foundation / Protocol Labs

The team behind Filecoin Network

Filecoin Foundation / Protocol Labs

Decentralized storage, DePIN, Filecoin, blockchain

Protocol Labs created Filecoin, a decentralized storage network. The Filecoin Foundation supports protocol development. In March 2026, Filecoin Onchain Cloud launched with smart-contract payments and onchain data verification.

Decentralized storage network with thousands of independent providers earning FIL tokens for storing and retrieving data.
Filecoin Onchain Cloud (March 2026) adds smart-contract payments, dual replication, and onchain proofs.
49+ TiB stored across 478 datasets with 81 connected payment wallets in Onchain Cloud's first week.

filecoin.io (opens filecoin.io)Company profile →

Founded: 201412 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $239M2 rounds
Last round: ICO pre-sale · $52MAug 2017
Works in: CryptoDecentralized networks
Coverage: 2 programs · 3 updateslatest 26 Mar 2026checked 11 Oct
Partners: Internet Archive (opens archive.org)Stellar Development Foundation (opens stellar.org)Consensys (opens consensys.io)
People: Juan Benet (opens en.wikipedia.org)Founder of Protocol Labs

Spec

Filecoin Network

Active storage providers

Thousands^R (reported)

Onchain Cloud storage (launch)

49.41 TiB^R (reported)