Gartner forecasts global IT spending to reach $6.37 tn in 2026, driven by AI infrastructure

Worldwide IT spending is projected to grow 14.2% year on year to US$6.37 trillion in 2026, with investments in AI infrastructure, cloud services and software driving the market, according to Gartner.

The research firm forecasts data centre systems to be the fastest-growing IT segment, with spending expected to increase 62.5% to US$822 billion in 2026 from US$506 billion in 2025. Spending on infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is projected to grow 29.3% to US$287 billion, while software spending is expected to rise 15.5% to US$1.47 trillion.

Overall, Gartner estimates global IT spending will increase from US$5.58 trillion in 2025 to US$6.37 trillion in 2026.

The firm attributed the growth to accelerating investments in AI infrastructure, cloud platforms and AI-enabled software as enterprises and hyperscale cloud providers expand computing capacity to support AI workloads.

The forecast also indicates device spending will grow 9.8% to US$868 billion, IT services spending will rise 5.3% to US$1.57 trillion, and communications services spending will increase 4.4% to US$1.35 trillion.

Despite the strong spending outlook, Gartner said organisations continue to face pressure from inflation, supply constraints, rising hardware and memory costs, and increasing investments in AI initiatives.

“Data centre systems and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) are the top growth segments, reflecting accelerating investment in AI infrastructure, cloud platforms, and intelligent applications,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner.

The research firm said it has revised its 2026 forecast upward, reflecting stronger confidence in AI-driven spending, with the largest increases concentrated in AI infrastructure, cloud services and software rather than traditional IT segments.