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Global IT Spending to Reach $6.2 Trillion in 2026, Fueled by AI
Worldwide IT spending is forecast to grow by nearly 11% (10.8%) in 2026, reaching a total of $6.2 trillion, according to the latest projections from analyst firm Gartner. This growth is being significantly driven by investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and the infrastructure required to support it.
AI Drives Explosive Growth in Infrastructure investment
Gartner’s forecast indicates a ample increase in spending across key areas. Spending on datacenter equipment is expected to surge by 32% in 2026, while software spending is projected to grow by almost 15%. Much of this is attributable to hyperscalers expanding their AI compute capacity. “Demand from hyperscale cloud providers continues to drive investment in servers optimized for AI workloads,” said John-David Lovelock, distinguished vice-president analyst at Gartner. Gartner’s november 2023 press release details these forecasts.
Worldwide spending on AI is predicted to total $2.52 trillion in 2026, representing a 44% year-over-year (YoY) increase. Lovelock notes that AI has sparked an unprecedented level of investment in infrastructure after two decades of relatively flat or declining server spending. Organizations are currently spending three to four times more on AI-optimized servers compared to conventional servers. “Three times more money is spent on servers to do AI than everything we currently do with computers,” Lovelock stated.
AI Foundations and Data Demand
Building the foundational elements for AI will be a major driver of spending, with a projected 49% increase in investment for AI-optimized servers, accounting for 17% of total AI spending in 2026.Technology providers are expected to contribute an additional $401 billion in spending as they build out these AI foundations.
The demand for AI is also impacting datacenter power consumption,which
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