From the Metaverse to Blockchain: The Reality and Prospects of the Emerging Technology Market in 2025
Editor
Reality Check of the Emerging Technology Ecosystem
As of December 2025, the field of emerging technologies, excluding artificial intelligence and robotics, stands at an intriguing inflection point. Technologies such as the metaverse, blockchain, quantum computing, and extended reality (XR) are moving beyond the hype cycle of 2021-2022, seeking more practical and sustainable business models. According to Gartner’s latest hype cycle analysis, most of these technologies are passing through the ‘trough of disillusionment’ and focusing on value creation in areas where they can be practically applied.
Notably, significant changes are being observed in the metaverse market. Meta (formerly Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California) has begun to see tangible results from its $58 billion investment in the metaverse since 2021, starting in the second half of 2024. Meta’s Reality Labs division surpassed $1 billion in revenue in Q4 2024, and by Q3 2025, recorded a 35% year-on-year increase, reaching $1.4 billion in revenue. This indicates that the metaverse hardware and software ecosystem is surpassing its critical point.
These changes are also evident in the Korean market. Naver’s (based in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province) metaverse platform ‘Zepeto’ announced that as of November 2025, it surpassed 450 million cumulative global subscribers, with 28 million monthly active users (MAU). Notably, the virtual economy within the platform expanded to an annual scale of 120 billion won, growing 180% compared to 2024. This demonstrates that the metaverse is evolving beyond a mere gaming or social platform into a space that creates real economic value.
Blockchain technology is also seeing practical applications spread across industries, independent of cryptocurrency volatility. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Blockchain Survey, 76% of companies worldwide consider blockchain a strategic priority, with accelerated adoption particularly in supply chain management, digital identity verification, and smart contracts. The blockchain technology market size is expected to grow from $67.2 billion in 2025 to $1.43 trillion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87.7%.
Corporate Strategies and Market Positioning
Microsoft (based in Redmond, Washington) is taking a unique approach in the metaverse and mixed reality fields. Focusing on enterprise metaverse solutions rather than consumer-centric ones, it targets the B2B market through HoloLens and the Mesh platform. Microsoft’s Mixed Reality division reported a 42% year-on-year increase in revenue, reaching $2.8 billion in Q3 2025, with significant adoption in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors. Ford (based in Dearborn, Michigan) announced that it achieved over a 30% efficiency improvement in the automotive design and production process using Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Meanwhile, NVIDIA (based in Santa Clara, California) provides core technology for metaverse infrastructure through its Omniverse platform. As of 2025, over 7 million developers are using NVIDIA’s Omniverse, with global companies like BMW, Lockheed Martin, and Ericsson utilizing it for digital twin construction and collaboration tools. NVIDIA announced that Omniverse-related revenue is expected to reach $1.2 billion in Q4 2025.
Samsung Electronics (based in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province) is focusing on high-performance memory solutions for metaverse and XR devices, leveraging its memory semiconductor technology. Samsung’s LPDDR5X DRAM and UFS 4.0 storage are equipped in major XR devices like Meta’s Quest 3 and Apple’s Vision Pro, with expected revenue in this field reaching $16 billion in 2025, accounting for about 18% of the total memory division revenue. SK Hynix (based in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province) is also expanding its market share by supplying HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) technology to GPUs for metaverse servers.
In the blockchain sector, Klaytn, operated by Ground X, a subsidiary of Kakao (based in Jeju City, Jeju Province), is gaining attention. As of November 2025, Klaytn surpassed 1 million daily transactions, showing strength particularly in the GameFi and NFT sectors. The Klaytn-based game ‘Summoners War: Chronicles’ achieved 50 billion won in cumulative sales within six months of launch, proving the commercial potential of blockchain games.
In the quantum computing field, IBM (based in Armonk, New York), Google (based in Mountain View, California), and Amazon (based in Seattle, Washington) are engaged in fierce competition. IBM announced its 1,121-qubit quantum processor ‘Flamingo’ in October 2025, moving a step closer to achieving quantum advantage. Google’s Quantum AI team announced groundbreaking achievements in quantum error correction with its new quantum chip ‘Willow’ in December 2025. IDC projects that the quantum computing market will grow from $1.3 billion in 2025 to $5 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 32.1%.
Domestically, Samsung Electronics is continuously investing in quantum computing research and development, establishing a dedicated quantum computing research lab at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in the first half of 2025. Additionally, through industry-academia collaboration with major domestic universities like KAIST and Seoul National University, Samsung is focusing on developing quantum algorithms and nurturing talent. The government also announced the ‘K-Quantum Initiative,’ investing a total of 2 trillion won in quantum technology development over five years starting in 2025.
Market Opportunities and Challenges
The greatest opportunity for these emerging technologies lies in creating new value through mutual convergence. The combination of the metaverse and blockchain ensures transparency in the ownership and transaction of virtual assets, while quantum computing can further enhance blockchain security. According to McKinsey’s analysis, the economic value that can be created through such technological convergence is estimated to reach $4 trillion annually by 2030.
A particularly noteworthy case is the combination of digital twins and the metaverse. Siemens (based in Munich, Germany) provides solutions that allow manufacturers to design and operate factories in virtual environments through its industrial metaverse platform. Hyundai Motor Company (based in Gangnam-gu, Seoul) announced that it reduced the time to build new production lines by 30% and costs by 25% through this approach. The digital twin market is expected to grow from $15.6 billion in 2025 to $73.8 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 35.7%.
However, the challenges these technologies face are not insignificant. The biggest issues remain high entry costs and technical complexity. The average price of high-performance VR/AR headsets for metaverse implementation is still between $800 and $3,000, requiring time for widespread adoption. Apple’s (based in Cupertino, California) Vision Pro, priced at $3,499, fell short of its first-year sales forecast of 400,000 units, achieving only 150,000 units in 2025.
Blockchain technology also continues to face scalability and energy consumption issues. As of 2025, the annual power consumption of the Bitcoin network is similar to that of Argentina, at 150 TWh. These environmental concerns are obstacles to corporate blockchain adoption, and the development of more efficient consensus algorithms is urgently needed. Ethereum’s transition to proof-of-stake (PoS) reduced energy consumption by 99.95%, which is a positive sign, but many blockchain networks still use energy-intensive proof-of-work (PoW) methods.
The biggest challenge in the quantum computing field is the instability and error rate of quantum states. The current error rate of quantum bits (qubits) in commercial quantum computers is between 0.1% and 1%, and it needs to be reduced to below 0.0001% for practical quantum algorithm implementation. While major companies like IBM, Google, and IonQ are focusing on developing quantum error correction technologies, experts predict that commercialization is still 5-10 years away.
The regulatory environment is also a crucial variable. Similar to the European Union’s AI Act, governments around the world are establishing regulatory frameworks for the metaverse and blockchain. The South Korean government established the legal foundation for the metaverse industry with the enactment of the ‘Virtual Convergence Economy Development Act’ in the second half of 2025, which is expected to positively impact domestic companies’ global competitiveness. In contrast, China maintains strict censorship policies on metaverse-related content, leaving uncertainties for global metaverse platforms entering the Chinese market.
In terms of investment trends, global venture capital investment in the metaverse in 2025 increased by 45% year-on-year, reaching $8.9 billion. Investments are particularly concentrated in enterprise metaverse solutions and XR hardware, while investments in consumer metaverse platforms have relatively decreased. In the blockchain field, projects focused on practical industrial applications are attracting investors’ attention over DeFi (decentralized finance). The quantum computing sector attracted a total of $2.4 billion in investments in 2025, a 60% increase from the previous year.
Looking ahead, 2026 is likely to be the inaugural year for the practical application of these emerging technologies. The metaverse is expected to expand beyond gaming and social into various industrial sectors such as education, healthcare, and manufacturing. Blockchain is anticipated to begin full-scale commercialization in central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and supply chain management. Quantum computing is expected to show its first commercial results in financial modeling and new drug development. The maturation of these technologies is projected to create new business models and industrial ecosystems, bringing significant changes to the global economy.
