In October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook (FB) will change its name to Meta Platforms (MVRS). This is more than a name change, though.
It’s meant to signal a complete shift in focus from a social media website and mobile app to creating an immersive online world. Known as the metaverse, this would be a place where you could “plug in” via virtual reality sets, connect with people, shop, play games and more.
In 2022, Meta expects to spend between $29 and $34 billion on data centers, servers, network infrastructure and office facilities, which is $10 to $15 billion more than the company spent in 2021. This investment will lay the groundwork for its version of the metaverse, and other companies could join it and benefit.
Metaverse stocks are companies working on the technology used to build, maintain or access what is envisioned as virtual world and has been made famous by science fiction writers. Their fields include chip manufacturing, virtual reality technology, 3D rendering software, servers and network technology.
The first metaverse stock to consider is Meta itself. The ticker symbol remains FB until early 2022 when it changes to MVRS. For investors who want direct exposure to the metaverse, Meta is the first option.
Of course, there are other alternatives, such as companies that offer products and services Meta needs to build its metaverse. However, there are no confirmed companies that will work directly with Meta. Because of that, we selected some companies that work in related industries and that already offer products and services that could make them potential metaverse players.
| Company | Ticker symbol | Industry | Why it’s a metaverse stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nvidia | NVDA | Semiconductors | Nvidia’s GPUs and chips for AI and machine learning needed to build and render the metaverse |
| Advanced Micro Devices | AMD | Semiconductors | AMD makes GPU units, which will likely be needed for metaverse 3D renderings |
| Intel Corp | INTC | Semiconductors | Intel manufactures CPUs used in data centers, but it will enter the GPU market in 2022 |
| Unity | U | Software | Unity created a video game engine that the metaverse could use to build the virtual world |
| Immersion | IMMR | Haptic hardware | Immersion builds haptic feedback hardware and software, which offer feedback by touch that gives users the illusion of feeling virtual worlds |
| Sony Corp | SONY | Virtual reality | PlayStation creator Sony also produces a virtual reality headset, tech that could be useful for the metaverse |
| Arista Networks | ANET | Networking infrastructure | Arista Networks, which already works with Facebook, develops networking hardware for data centers and cloud computing |
| Seagate | STX | Storage | Seagate is one of the largest hard-drive manufacturers –– and the metaverse will need cloud storage |
| Shopify | SHOP | E-commerce | E-commerce platform Shopify could be useful for the metaverse’s virtual shops |
Buying the right metaverse stocks before Meta starts building this virtual world could be extremely profitable. But one key here is that metaverse is a broader concept taken from science fiction, and something a broad range of tech companies are working on. Even Meta Platforms role in what’s built out is far from certain.
Investing in metaverse stocks works the same as investing in any other stock.
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