Gartner projects global AI infrastructure spending will reach $2.7 trillion in 2026, driven by sustained hyperscaler capex and enterprise adoption.
Global AI spending is projected to reach $2.7 trillion in 2026, representing a 49.5% year-over-year increase, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.
“Demand for AI infrastructure (including AI-optimized IaaS, AI-optimized servers, AI network fabric, AI processing semiconductors and devices) to support anticipated future workloads remains strong and inelastic to pressures from memory-related pricing increases,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “The buildout of AI data center capacity is the largest infrastructure project humanity has even undertaken. The capacity growth from hyperscalers and service providers purchasing AI-optimized servers will continue to be the largest single area of spending.”
Within the software market, vendors across multiple categories are rapidly embedding agentic AI into existing products to maintain market relevance and defend against emerging cross-functional agents (see Table 1). As generative AI settles into the Trough of Disillusionment in 2026, enterprises are leveraging simpler, embedded AI features from incumbent software providers to drive operational efficiency, automate workflows, improve customer engagement, and enhance decision-making.
| Market | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Services | 434,046 | 576,481 | 745,655 |
| AI Cybersecurity | 25,920 | 51,347 | 85,997 |
| AI Software | 288,168 | 461,637 | 656,353 |
| AI Agents and Assistants | 16,481 | 29,219 | 65,472 |
| Generative AI Models | 13,021 | 28,266 | 51,620 |
| AI Platforms for Data Science and Machine Learning | 19,405 | 26,445 | 35,552 |
| AI Application Development Platforms | 6,885 | 9,541 | 12,478 |
| AI Data | 826 | 3,126 | 6,480 |
| AI Infrastructure | 981,920 | 1,484,397 | 1,977,685 |
| **Total AI Spending** | **1,786,671** | **2,670,460** | **3,637,292** |
*Source: Gartner (September 2026). All figures in millions of U.S. dollars.*
“Meanwhile enterprises are turning to service providers less often to help them manage the business transformation, and more often for the smaller indirect projects to exploit AI features of their incumbent software system,” said Lovelock. “The risks associated with vendor lock-in, data sovereignty, and run-away costs are not deterring buyers from adopting these proprietary capabilities. The combination of transformation and indirect projects are forecast to drive a $1.2 trillion opportunity in AI services by 2030.”
**Near-Term Outlook Changes**
The short-term growth projection for AI application development platforms has risen from 28% in the prior forecast to 39% for 2026, as enterprises, software providers, and services firms seek to develop custom AI applications tailored to specific operational needs. Organizations are relying on their providers to optimize costs and integrate usage tracking into workflows to evaluate performance. Concurrently, pressure on model providers to deliver more cost-efficient, enterprise-aligned architectures is creating a nascent but expanding market for domain-specific language models (DSLMs). Consequently, the 2026 growth rate for generative AI models has been revised upward from 110% to 117%.
**Long-Term Outlook Changes**
This quarter’s forecast reclassifies cross-functional agents and assistants out of the broader AI software category and introduces consumer agents and assistants into the overall AI spending model. These adjustments provide a clearer view of the emerging commercial opportunities within the agent ecosystem.
Gartner clients can access the full analysis in *Forecast: AI Spending, Worldwide, 2025–2030, 2Q26*. Additional insights will be available during the complimentary webinar, *How Soaring Memory Prices Are Changing Technology Spending*, on October 8, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. ET. Registration is available here.