Gartner Forecasts $6.31 Trillion IT Spending

Gartner, a business and technology insights company, has projected that worldwide IT spending will reach $6.31 trillion in 2026, marking a 13.5% increase from 2025. This significant upward revision from previous forecasts is primarily driven by accelerating investments in AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, and advanced memory technologies. Data center systems spending is expected to see the largest growth at 55.8%, reaching nearly $788 billion, fueled by hyperscaler demand. IT services will remain the largest spending category, surpassing $1.87 trillion, while software spending, especially in generative AI model development, is forecast to more than double year-over-year. John-David Lovelock, a Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, highlighted that robust demand and supply constraints are leading to record price increases for high-bandwidth memory, making the memory segment lucrative for semiconductor manufacturers. The forecast underscores a multi-speed IT market where AI-centric segments are significantly outperforming traditional categories.