Global AI spending will reach $2.52 trillion in 2026, a 44% year‑over‑year rise, according to Gartner, driven largely by accelerating investment in hardware infrastructure as providers compete for advantage.
► Infrastructure spending will grow by $401 billion - over half of the total increase - with a 49% jump in AI‑optimised servers, which will account for 17% of all AI spend and continue pushing memory prices higher.
Gartner also notes that end‑user organisations will be more cautious. With AI entering the Trough of Disillusionment in 2026, enterprises will wait for clearer, more predictable ROI before scaling their investments.
Table 1: Worldwide AI spending by market, 2025-2027 (millions of US dollars)
| Market | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Services | 439,438 | 588,645 | 761,042 |
| AI Cybersecurity | 25,920 | 51,347 | 85,997 |
| AI Software | 283,136 | 452,458 | 636,146 |
| AI Models | 14,416 | 26,380 | 43,449 |
| AI Platforms for Data Science and Machine Learning | 21,868 | 31,120 | 44,482 |
| AI Application Development Platforms | 6,587 | 8,416 | 10,922 |
| AI Data | 827 | 3,119 | 6,440 |
| AI Infrastructure | 964,960 | 1,366,360 | 1,748,212 |
| Total AI Spending | 1,757,152 | 2,527,845 | 3,336,690 |
Source: Gartner (January 2026)
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