Sui is a low-latency, high-throughput layer-1 blockchain. Its instant transaction settlement capability makes Sui an appropriate blockchain for on-chain use cases such as DeFi and GameFi. The blockchain is written in Rust (Rust is a programming language focused on fast and secure transaction execution). Rust is also the programming language adopted by Solana, another high-speed blockchain.

Sui's stated goal is to deploy decentralized applications (DApps) through a smart contract architecture that is superior to blockchain competitors such as Ethereum to "lead the next billion users to Web 3." Blockchains do this using a process called "transaction parallelization," which allows transactions to be processed in "parallel protocols." This “parallel scaling,” as Sui calls it, enables better data organization in Byzantine fault-tolerant proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanisms.