Global IT Spending Set to Reach $6.37 Trillion in 2026 as AI Infrastructure Drives Growth
Gartner forecasts 14.2% growth in worldwide technology expenditure, led by an unprecedented surge in data centre systems and cloud platform investments.
Global IT spending is expected to reach new heights in 2026, with Gartner forecasting total expenditure of $6.37 trillion, driven largely by growing investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, cloud platforms and software.
Infrastructure Surge & Segment Breakdown
According to the forecast, worldwide IT spending is projected to grow 14.2% compared with 2025. Data centre systems are expected to lead this expansion, with spending forecast to rise by 62.5% to $822 billion in 2026. The sharp increase reflects the growing need for computing capacity as enterprises and hyperscale cloud providers expand infrastructure to support increasingly demanding AI workloads.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service is also expected to see strong growth, with spending projected to increase 29.3% to $287 billion. Software spending is forecast to rise 15.5% to $1.47 trillion, highlighting the continued demand for AI-enabled applications and cloud-based technologies.
| Segment | 2026 Forecast Value | Projected Growth | Primary Growth Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Centre Systems | $822 Billion | +62.5% | Hyperscale compute capacity & AI workloads |
| Software | $1.47 Trillion | +15.5% | AI-enabled applications & cloud platforms |
| Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) | $287 Billion | +29.3% | Cloud-native infrastructure & scalable compute |
| Total Worldwide IT Spend | $6.37 Trillion | +14.2% | Pervasive enterprise AI deployment |
Other technology segments are also expected to grow, including devices, IT services and communications services. However, the biggest momentum is clearly concentrated around infrastructure and platforms supporting AI.
Despite the positive outlook, organisations continue to face challenges such as inflation, supply constraints, rising hardware and memory costs, and the growing financial demands of large-scale AI investments.
The forecast highlights how artificial intelligence is reshaping global technology priorities. As businesses move from experimenting with AI to deploying it at scale, investment is increasingly shifting towards the infrastructure, cloud capacity and software needed to power the next phase of digital transformation.
