From the Metaverse to Brain-Computer Interfaces: New Market Opportunities Created by Emerging Technology Convergence in 2026
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A New Paradigm of Emerging Technology Convergence
The tech industry, welcoming the new year of 2026, is in the midst of more dynamic changes than ever before. Emerging technologies that have developed individually, such as the metaverse, brain-computer interfaces (BCI), quantum computing, and extended reality (XR), are now intersecting to create unexpected synergies. According to market research firm Gartner, the size of this technology convergence market is projected to grow from $234 billion in 2025 to $1.2 trillion in 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 38.7%. Notably, this growth is not merely a result of technological advancement but is accompanied by structural changes across the existing industrial ecosystem.
California-based Meta announced in its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings report that its metaverse-related revenue increased by 127% year-over-year, reaching $8.9 billion. This figure accounts for 21% of the company’s total revenue, demonstrating that the metaverse is no longer an experimental domain but a core revenue source. CEO Mark Zuckerberg assessed, “2026 marks a turning point where the metaverse evolves into a complete digital ecosystem beyond social media.” In fact, Meta’s Horizon Worlds had over 42 million monthly active users by the end of 2025, with 67% of them participating in commercial activities.
Meanwhile, in the brain-computer interface sector, Elon Musk’s Neuralink caused a significant stir in the industry by receiving conditional approval from the FDA for commercial brain implant procedures in December 2025. Consequently, the overall BCI market is expected to grow rapidly from $2.3 billion in 2025 to $4.1 billion in 2026, a 78% increase. More intriguingly, this technology, when combined with the metaverse, is creating an entirely new realm known as the ‘brain-metaverse interface.’ An era is approaching where users can manipulate virtual environments with mere thoughts and share consciousness directly with other users.
The quantum computing field also entered a practical application stage with the commercialization of IBM’s 1,000-qubit quantum processor ‘Condor’ and performance improvements in Google’s Willow chip by the end of 2025. Especially as quantum computing is applied to AI model training and metaverse physics engine simulations, it has become possible to implement levels of realism and complexity that were unattainable with existing technologies. Market research firm IDC forecasts that investments related to quantum computing will increase by 156% year-over-year, reaching $85 billion in 2026.
A New Front in the Global Technological Supremacy Competition
This trend of technology convergence is fundamentally altering the competitive landscape among global companies. While U.S. big tech companies have led the existing paradigm, companies from Korea, China, and Japan are challenging with unique approaches. Samsung Electronics, headquartered in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, unveiled its next-generation memory semiconductor ‘HBM4’ in December 2025, aiming to lead the market with hardware solutions optimized for AI and metaverse applications. HBM4 is evaluated as essential for implementing high-performance metaverse environments, with a 40% increase in bandwidth and a 25% improvement in power efficiency compared to existing products.
Samsung’s strategy goes beyond mere hardware supply to aim for ecosystem building. The company plans to launch the metaverse-dedicated chipset ‘Exynos Meta’ in the first half of 2026, which will be the industry’s first integrated solution combining brainwave signal processing and quantum encryption functions. Kyung Kye-hyun, head of Samsung Electronics’ DS division, stated, “The convergence of metaverse and BCI technologies demands a new computing paradigm that surpasses the smartphone era, and we are proactively establishing the hardware infrastructure for it.” In fact, Samsung invested $3.4 billion in metaverse-related R&D in 2025, an 89% increase from the previous year, and filed 1,247 related patents, a 156% increase year-over-year.
SK Hynix, headquartered in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, is also taking a unique positioning in the memory semiconductor field. The company began mass production of the world’s first brain-computer interface-dedicated memory ‘BCI-DRAM’ in November 2025. This product features ultra-low latency (below 1 nanosecond) and ultra-low power consumption (70% reduction compared to existing products) for real-time processing of brainwave signals, attracting significant interest from BCI companies like Neuralink. SK Hynix has set a 2026 revenue target of $1.2 billion for BCI-DRAM, accounting for about 3% of the company’s total revenue.
In the software domain, Naver, headquartered in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is gaining attention. Naver launched the metaverse platform ‘Zepeto 2.0’ in 2025, based on its self-developed large-scale language model ‘HyperCLOVA X.’ The platform’s standout feature is the ‘Neural Avatar’ technology, which converts users’ voice and text inputs into 3D avatar movements and expressions in real-time. Zepeto 2.0 surpassed 120 million global users within three months of its launch, with an average daily usage time of 127 minutes, significantly exceeding existing social media platforms. Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon evaluated, “The metaverse experience reflecting the cultural characteristics of Asian users has proven to be competitive in the global market.”
Kakao, headquartered in Jeju, is focusing on building a blockchain-based decentralized metaverse ecosystem. Kakao’s ‘Klaytn Metaverse’ differentiates itself with a creator economy system utilizing NFTs and cryptocurrencies. As of the fourth quarter of 2025, the total value of digital assets traded on Klaytn Metaverse reached $2.3 billion, with 67% of the revenue generated by Korean creators. Kakao plans to introduce a ‘Mind Creation’ feature linked to brain-computer interfaces in 2026, allowing users to create 3D content with just their thoughts.
In China, Tencent and ByteDance are targeting the market with their unique approaches. Shenzhen-based Tencent is developing an integrated platform called ‘Meta Universe’ based on its gaming technology and plans to start beta services in the first half of 2026. Tencent’s approach focuses on seamlessly transitioning its existing 800 million game users to the metaverse. Beijing-based ByteDance is developing ‘3D TikTok,’ applying TikTok’s short-form video technology to the metaverse, envisioning a platform where users can create and share content in real-time in a 3D space.
In Japan, Tokyo-based Sony is pursuing a unique strategy combining hardware and content. Sony announced its next-generation VR headset ‘PSVR3’ in December 2025, which supports 8K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, making it the highest specification product in the industry. Notably, PSVR3 is fully integrated with Sony’s movie, music, and gaming content. Users can experience Sony Pictures movies in VR or participate in virtual concerts with Sony Music artists. Sony has set a 2026 sales target of 4.5 million units for PSVR3, a 78% increase compared to the previous generation product.
Investment Trends and Market Opportunity Analysis
Analyzing the investment patterns of venture capital and private equity, investments in the emerging technology convergence field in 2025 increased by 234% year-over-year, reaching $189 billion. Among these, metaverse-AI convergence startups accounted for 37%, BCI-related companies 23%, and quantum computing application companies 19%. Notably, the average size of seed-stage investments increased by 86%, from $2.8 million in 2024 to $5.2 million in 2025. This suggests that investors recognize the technical complexity and development costs in this field, yet remain highly optimistic about its future revenue potential.
Particularly, Korean startups’ global investment attraction performance stands out. Seoul-based AI startup ‘MindBridge’ raised $120 million in a Series B round in November 2025. The company is developing technology that analyzes brainwave signals in real-time to reflect users’ emotional states in the metaverse environment. MindBridge’s technology is already being used in commercial services on Naver Zepeto and Kakao Klaytn Metaverse and plans to provide technology licensing to Meta and Microsoft in 2026. MindBridge CEO Kim Tae-hyun analyzed, “The combination of Korea’s neuroscience research level and IT technology occupies a unique position in global competition.”
‘QuantumLink,’ headquartered in Daegu, raised $45 million in a Series A round in 2025 with its security solution combining quantum computing and blockchain. The company’s technology protects large volumes of data generated in the metaverse environment with quantum encryption while storing it in a distributed manner through blockchain. QuantumLink aims to list on NASDAQ in the first half of 2026, with investment banks estimating its corporate value at $1.2 billion upon listing.
Globally, Washington-based Microsoft is pursuing the most aggressive investment strategy. Microsoft established the ‘Azure Metaverse Fund’ in 2025 and announced a $5 billion investment. This fund invests in promising startups in the metaverse, BCI, and quantum computing fields while simultaneously connecting them to Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem. CEO Satya Nadella explained the investment background, stating, “The future computing paradigm will be a fully integrated form of cloud, AI, and metaverse.” Indeed, metaverse-related workloads on Microsoft’s Azure cloud increased by 312% year-over-year in 2025, becoming a major driver of the company’s cloud revenue growth.
NVIDIA, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is accelerating its transition from a hardware supplier to a platform provider. NVIDIA’s ‘Omniverse Cloud’ service recorded a 189% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter 2025 revenue, reaching $2.3 billion. This service provides an integrated platform for companies to build and operate metaverse environments, utilized by global manufacturers like BMW, Hyundai Motor, and Samsung Electronics for digital twin construction. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang predicted, “2026 will be the inaugural year for the widespread adoption of the metaverse in the B2B market.”
From an investment risk perspective, regulatory uncertainty is the most significant variable. Particularly for brain-computer interface technology, issues of personal data protection and ownership of neural data create complex legal challenges. The European Union enacted the ‘Neural Information Protection Act’ in December 2025, which includes provisions for protecting brainwave data at a higher level than biometric information. The United States and China are also reviewing similar regulatory frameworks, which are expected to significantly impact the business strategies and investment plans of related companies.
Nevertheless, market experts evaluate 2026 as the ‘tipping point’ for the emerging technology convergence market. Goldman Sachs recently reported, “New business models emerging at the intersection of the metaverse, BCI, and quantum computing will create an additional $8 trillion in global GDP over the next decade.” JP Morgan also predicted, “Institutional investors’ interest in this field is surging, and fund inflows into related stocks and ETFs will increase by 400% year-over-year in 2026.” The optimistic outlook is supported by the fact that business models generating actual revenue are emerging alongside improved technological maturity. 2026 is expected to be the year when these emerging technologies permeate everyday life and industrial sites beyond laboratories, with new investment opportunities and market leaders likely to emerge in the process.
This analysis is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or guarantee for specific investments. Investment decisions should be made at the individual’s discretion and responsibility.
