An object-oriented Layer 1 blockchain using a parallelized execution model, built by former Meta Diem engineers using the Move language.
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Sui is a Layer 1 blockchain that launched in May 2023, built by Mysten Labs, founded by former engineers from Meta's Diem project. Sui's defining design choice is its object-centric model: rather than account balances and contract storage, the world state is a collection of objects with explicit ownership. This enables aggressive parallelization: any transactions touching disjoint object sets can run concurrently without coordination.
Sui uses Narwhal for transaction dissemination and Bullshark (or Mysticeti) for consensus, a DAG-based design that sustains high throughput with low latency. Simple "owned object" transactions can finalize in sub-second time without going through full consensus, while shared-object transactions (involving objects multiple parties can use, like an AMM pool) go through the consensus path. Smart contracts are written in Sui Move, a variant of Move with object-aware features.
Sui has attracted significant DeFi (DeepBook, Cetus, Navi), gaming, and consumer applications. The object model is well-suited to NFTs and game items, which are first-class citizens with explicit ownership rather than entries in a contract's storage. Stablecoins are present but less prevalent than on Ethereum or Solana.
Sui's object model is powerful but requires a different mental model than Ethereum-style state. Move (in any variant) has a smaller developer community than Solidity. The Sui and Aptos ecosystems share a language but have diverged on details, creating compatibility friction. The chain is young; its track record is shorter than longer-lived alternatives.
For comparison with similar architectures, see the validator and staking entries.