More Than One Million Cultural and Scientific Artifacts Now Preserved on Filecoin

On October 1, Filecoin Foundation (FF) announced a major milestone: more than one million cultural and scientific artifacts are now preserved on the Filecoin network. 

This includes new datasets from Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), Earth Species Project (ESP), Oceanic Whispers with RadicalXChange, Prelinger Archives, and the Rohingya Project. This new milestone underscores how decentralized infrastructure is being used to ensure long-term preservation and resilience for humanity’s most important information. 

Why Decentralized Preservation Matters

Data powers progress across fields in AI, education, research, and beyond. Yet, most data remains vulnerable to single points of failure created by centralized infrastructure. Filecoin mitigates these vulnerabilities by: 

• Distributing data globally to eliminate single points of failure.

• Ensuring integrity with verifiable, tamper-proof storage.

• Preserving access long-term without dependence on any one institution.

Institutions Leading the Way

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and its partners hold more than 50 million items that reflect our nation’s cultural heritage, including photographs, videos, books, and more. DPLA is embarking on a pilot project to preserve selected partner content using Filecoin. 

Earth Species Project (ESP) has uploaded its BEANS-Zero benchmark dataset to the Filecoin network. The dataset played a crucial role in training ESP’s new foundation model, NatureLM-audio, the first audio-language foundation model specifically designed for animal sounds and tailored to fully leverage the potential of bioacoustics data.

Oceanic Whispers with RadicalXChange is an experimental installation and data trust that combines environmental science, AI-generated storytelling, and haptic art. The project stores data from Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on Filecoin and transforms it into interactive, sensory experiences, helping participants connect with oceanic ecosystems on a visceral level.

Prelinger Archives is a collection of tens of thousands of archival films relating to U.S. cultural history, the evolution of the American landscape, everyday life, social history, and much more. Many of Rick Prelinger's own films, like Panorama Ephemera (2004) and his 35mm film Lost Landscapes series, are preserved on the Filecoin network.

The Rohingya Project is an initiative dedicated to empowering stateless Rohingya communities through various developmental and advocacy programs. Its primary goal is to use digital means to preserve the collective identity of the displaced and marginalized Rohingya population.

Looking Ahead

In January, FF announced that more than 500,000 culturally significant artifacts had been preserved on Filecoin. That number has now doubled, surpassing one million. This growth reflects the trust leading institutions place in decentralized technologies to protect and share important datasets. Want to preserve your data with Filecoin? Learn more.

Network News

Builders, Breakthroughs & a Better Internet. Watch the premiere episode of Filecoin Ecosystem Highlights, featuring Akave Cloud, FIL-B, Storacha, and the Protocol Labs Impact Fund. See how they’re using Filecoin to transform data infrastructure.

Messari’s State of Filecoin Q2 2025 report is out. Read it for a detailed overview of the network, including increased network utilization rates, FVM milestones and Proof of Data Possession (PDP) launch, and more. 

Celebrate Filecoin's 5th Birthday! On October 15, tune in for a special birthday celebration premiere joined by community contributors. Featuring a fireside chat with Filecoin inventor Juan Benet, and a preview of something new hitting the network with FilOz CEO Molly Mackinlay. 

Build With Us 

Announcing Aleph Hub as the home for FIL Dev Summit 7! Join us at FDS-7, where developers, builders, storage providers, and community members are coming together to solve hard problems and ship solutions that will define Filecoin’s future. FDS-7 has two legs, a virtual event, and an in-person meetup:

• FDS-7 Virtual, October 16-17, kicks off discussions ahead of FDS @ Devconnect to help you get up to speed so you can hit the ground running IRL.

• FDS @ Devconnect, November 13-15, is an in-person gathering in Buenos Aires to collaborate with core contributors, ecosystem partners, and fellow builders on the opportunities that matter most.

​​DePIN Day, co-hosted by Fluence and Filecoin Foundation, is coming to Buenos Aires right in the heart of Devconnect Week! Join us on November 18, 2025, ​​for a curated lineup of visionary founders, developers, and DePIN leaders sharing cutting-edge use cases and insights across decentralized storage. 

RealFi Hack is live until Oct 16! This global virtual hackathon, hosted by Funding the Commons, brings together builders, researchers, and creators to develop crypto tools that solve real problems and create practical solutions. It’s a space to test ideas, share knowledge, and advance open infrastructure that works for everyone. 

Network Ops

Announcing the Filecoin Network v27 Golden Week Upgrade. On September 24, the Golden Week upgrade delivered protocol cleanups and enhancements, including cryptographic precompiles for the Filecoin Ethereum Virtual Machine (FEVM), smart contract notifications for Direct Data Onboarding, Fast Finality on Filecoin (F3)-compatible snapshot formatting, and a new deposit requirement for storage provider creation.