Market researchers expect strong growth in AI infrastructure in 2026, while rising storage prices will dampen demand for end devices.
Faster, bigger, smarter — the efforts of manufacturers and customers to capitalize on the current AI boom will continue to drive strong growth in the IT market in 2026. Market researchers at Gartner predict that global IT spending will reach $6.15 trillion this year — almost 11% more than in 2025.
“AI infrastructure growth remains rapid despite concerns about an AI bubble, with spending rising across AI‑related hardware and software,” explains John-David Lovelock, distinguished vice president analyst at Gartner. “Demand from hyperscale cloud providers continues to drive investment in servers optimized for AI workloads.”
High investments in data center infrastructure
Gartner predicts that server spending will accelerate significantly in 2026, growing by 36.9% year-over-year. Total data center spending is expected to increase by 31.7%, exceeding $650 billion in 2026 — up from just under $500 billion the previous year.
Forecast: Global IT spending (in millions of dollars)
| Category | Spending in 2025 (in millions of dollars) | Growth in 2025 (in percent) | Spending in 2026 (in millions of dollars) | Growth in 2026 (in percent) |
| Data center systems | 496,231 | 48.9 | 653.403 | 3 |
| Terminals | 788,335 | 9.1 | 836,417 | 6.1 |
| Software | 1,249,509 | 11.5 | 1,433,633 | 13.3 |
| IT services | 1,717,590 | 6.4 | 1,866,856 | 8.7 |
| Communication services | 1,303,651 | 3.8 | 1,365,184 | 4.7 |
| IT total | 5,555,316 | 10.3 | 6,155,493 | 10.8 |
Source: Gartner (February 2026)
Gartner, however, slightly revised its forecast for software growth downwards: Instead of an increase of 15.2%, global spending on application and infrastructure software is now expected to grow by 13.3%. According to Gartner figures, growth had already reached 11.5% by 2025.
“Despite the modest revision, total software spending will remain above $1.4 trillion,” Lovelock emphasized.
Gartner also remains optimistic about projected spending on generative AI models in 2026. Here, the analysts continue to forecast growth of 80.8%. “Gen AI models continue to experience strong growth, and their share of the software market is expected to rise by 1.8% in 2026,” Lovelock said.
Storage shortage slows down demand for end devices
The smartphone, PC, and tablet market is also expected to continue its strong performance in 2026, with Gartner forecasting global spending of $836 billion. This represents an increase of 6.1%, compared to 9.1% in 2025.
Gartner attributes the slowdown primarily to rising memory prices. These increased average selling prices and made device updates less attractive, according to Lovelock. Furthermore, this led to bottlenecks in the lower market segment, where margins are lower.
https://www.cio.com/article/4126847/gartner-it-spending-to-exceed-6-trillion-by-2026.html
