AI spend will jump 49.5% in 2026, says Gartner
$2.7 trillion. That's Gartner's AI spend forecast for 2026 — a 49.5% jump — and it's not coming from IT budget reshuffling. It's new money.
Why it matters
AI spending is accelerating across infrastructure, software, and agents, with semiconductor demand (especially memory) doubling prior 2030 forecasts. CIOs face three major transitions in the next 2–3 years with no certainty on pricing or capability — making budget and risk planning critical.
The key facts
10 to knowAI spending forecast: $2.7T in 2026 (49.5% YoY growth); 36.2% growth in 2027
AI infrastructure spend: +51.2% in 2026
AI software spend: +60.2% in 2026
AI agents and assistants spend: +77.3% in 2026
AI security spend: nearly double (2026)
AI development platforms: growth forecast raised from 28% to 39% for 2026
Generative AI model providers: 2026 growth raised to 117%
Semiconductor spend projected to hit $2T by 2030 (vs. prior $1T forecast), driven by memory demand
CIOs receiving net new AI budget in 2024–2025; no diversion from existing IT spend
Gartner analyst: 'Every dollar is going to be an AI dollar in one way or another' by 2030
The story so far
Earlier coverage of this storyline
- Gartner Forecasts Worldwide AI Spending to Grow 49.5% in 2026EnterpriseAI
- This story
Go to the source
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Publisher excerpt: Worldwide AI spending will increase 49.5% in 2026, to $2.7 trillion, and grow another 36.2% in 2027 as AI usage continues to expand, Gartner predicts in the latest quarterly update to its IT spending forecast. But there’s been no diversion of money from other areas of IT to feed AI, said Gartner…