Gartner raises 2026 global IT spending forecast to $6.37T

Global IT spending is on track to reach $6.37 trillion in 2026, a 14.2% increase from 2025, as enterprises and hyperscalers pour unprecedented sums into artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to the latest quarterly forecast from Gartner ↗ 6.96% released Monday.gartner+1

The revised figure marks a steady upward trajectory from Gartner's earlier projections this year — $6.15 trillion in February and $6.31 trillion in April — reflecting stronger-than-expected demand for AI compute capacity, cloud platforms, and next-generation data centers.gartner+1

Data Centers Lead the Surge

Data center systems represent the fastest-growing segment, with spending expected to jump 62.5% in 2026 to $822 billion, according to Business Standard's reporting on the forecast. That growth rate has itself accelerated throughout the year; Gartner's April forecast had pegged data center growth at 55.8%.businesswire+2

Infrastructure as a service, which includes cloud infrastructure from Amazon Web Services Amazon.com, Inc. ↗ 0.18%, Microsoft ↗ 2.53% Azure, and Google Cloud Alphabet Inc. ↗ 2.70%, is projected to rise 29.3% to $287 billion. Software spending is forecast to grow 15.5% to $1.47 trillion.business-standard

"The Largest Infrastructure Project Ever Attempted"

Gartner analyst John-David Lovelock framed the spending boom in stark terms. "Building the compute capacity required for AI is the largest infrastructure project ever attempted by humanity," Lovelock said, according to Business Standard and The Hans India.thehansindia+1

The characterization underscores the scale of capital flowing into AI foundations. A separate Gartner report in May forecast that worldwide AI spending alone would total $2.59 trillion in 2026, a 47% increase year-over-year, with the bulk directed toward servers, accelerators, storage, and data center platforms rather than applications.businesswire

A Year of Escalating Forecasts

The progression of Gartner's 2026 forecasts illustrates how quickly AI-driven demand has outpaced expectations. In October 2025, the firm projected 9.8% growth to $6.08 trillion. By February 2026, that rose to 10.8% and $6.15 trillion. The April update pushed the figure to 13.5% and $6.31 trillion. Monday's release adds another percentage point of growth, driven by what Gartner has described as supply-side constraints that have failed to dampen enterprise appetite for AI capacity.cio+3

IT services remains the largest spending category overall, while device spending growth has been moderated by elevated memory costs that are pushing up average selling prices.marketanalysis