Global IT spending is poised to see a sharper uptick in 2026, pointing to a decisive shift from cautious tech spending to expansion-driven investment cycles. According to data from Gartner, worldwide IT spending is expected to reach $6.31 trillion in 2026, up 13.5 per cent from 2025.
The standout driver is data centre systems, where spending is expected to surge from $505,634 million in 2025 to $787,990 million in 2026, maintaining a growth rate of 55.8 per cent.
IT services, including application implementation and managed services, infrastructure implementation and managed services and IaaS, is forecast to see the largest overall spending, surpassing $1,870,197 million in 2026 with a growth rate of 9 per cent.
Device spending grew to $856,189 million in 2026 compared to $791,663 million in 2025. Alongside, software spending is expected to grow 15.1 per cent to reach $1,443,621 million in 2026.
“This latest forecast underscores the accelerating momentum in AI infrastructure and advanced memory,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner.
“As AI workloads scale, data centre investment is ramping rapidly, which in turn is driving increased demand for high‑performance compute. This dynamic is creating meaningful growth opportunities for companies delivering AI‑optimised processors, accelerators, and enabling technologies.”
Published on April 22, 2026