Worldwide IT spending is forecast to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, an increase of 10.8% from 2025, according to Gartner’s latest outlook. Gartner notes that AI-related infrastructure investment continues to expand, with hyperscale cloud providers driving demand for servers optimized for AI workloads.
Gartner projects server spending to grow 36.9% year-over-year in 2026. Total data center spending is expected to rise 31.7%, surpassing $650 billion in 2026, up from nearly $500 billion the previous year.
Software spending growth for 2026 has been slightly revised downward to 14.7%, but total software spending is still expected to remain above $1.4 trillion. Gartner also projects that spending on generative AI models will grow 80.8% in 2026, with GenAI models increasing their share of the overall software market.
Spending on devices such as mobile phones, PCs, and tablets is projected to reach $836 billion in 2026, though growth is expected to slow to 6.1%. Gartner attributes this moderation largely to rising memory prices, which are increasing average selling prices and discouraging device replacements, particularly in the lower end of the market.
