Global IT Spending to Reach $6.31 Trillion by 2026, Says Gartner
According to a recent forecast by Gartner, global IT spending is projected to reach a staggering $6.31 trillion in 2026, marking a significant 13.5% increase from the previous year. This growth is largely driven by the rapid expansion of data center systems, software, and IT services, which are emerging as the fastest growing sectors within the industry.
AI Infrastructure Fuels Data Center Growth
John-David Lovelock, a distinguished VP analyst at Gartner, highlighted the pivotal role of AI infrastructure in this surge. “This latest forecast underscores the increasing momentum in AI infrastructure and expanded storage,” Lovelock stated in a press release. “As AI workloads grow, investment in data centers is increasing rapidly, which in turn leads to increased demand for high-performance computing. This dynamic creates significant growth opportunities for companies that provide AI-optimized processors, accelerators, and supporting technologies.”
Data center systems are anticipated to see the most significant growth, with a projected increase of 55.8% in 2026 compared to 2025. This follows an already impressive 51.6% growth in 2025 over the previous year. The flourishing of AI-related technologies continues to drive these trends.
IT Services and Software: Major Contributors to IT Spending
IT services, encompassing application deployment, managed services, infrastructure deployment, and IaaS, are expected to have the largest total spend, reaching $1.87 billion. The software industry is also set to witness substantial growth, with spending forecasted at $1.44 billion, representing a 15.1% increase in 2026. Meanwhile, communication services are estimated to reach $1.36 billion, reflecting a growth of 4.8%, and device spending is projected at $856 million, an 8.2% rise.
Challenges and Opportunities in the IT Landscape
Lovelock further elaborated on the current market dynamics: “Strong demand coupled with supply constraints has led to record price increases for high-bandwidth memory. This increase makes the memory segment a lucrative area for semiconductor manufacturers. All of these trends make AI infrastructure the most attractive segment to benefit from robust expansion in IT spending.”
A previous Gartner forecast from earlier this year estimated global IT spending at $6.15 trillion, a 10.5% increase. The updated forecast attributes the stronger growth to “continued momentum in AI infrastructure, software, and IaaS,” according to the press release.
Hyperscaler purchases and AI-centric software are outperforming traditional spending categories. The demand for hyperscale cloud services has led to a surge in server and data center investments, with spending on these systems expected to surpass $788 billion this year, far exceeding expectations. The rise of generative AI is also contributing significantly to software growth.
Device Spending and Market Divergence
Device spending has risen to $856 billion, although this growth is tempered by higher storage costs, which are driving up selling prices. Lovelock concluded, “Taken together, these dynamics highlight increasing divergence between IT markets as AI infrastructure and GenAI software experience significant upward revisions, while device growth reflects ongoing cost and pricing pressures.”
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About the author
Matt Jones is the managing editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].
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