Global AI spend to reach $2.59 trillion in 2026

Dive Brief:

• Global spending on AI will rise by 47% year-over-year in 2026, totaling $2.59 trillion, a Gartner report released Tuesday found. Enterprises will more than double their spending on generative AI models and AI agents, adding $6 billion in spending in 2026.
• Vendor-driven AI infrastructure that supports AI work — including AI-optimized IaaS, AI-optimized servers, AI network fabric, AI processing semiconductors and devices — accounted for more than 45% of spending, the report said. 
• Cloud service providers are expanding their capacity in anticipation of the workloads AI is creating, said John-David Lovelock, distinguished VP analyst at Gartner, in a statement. “Within this segment, spending on AI-optimized servers will triple over the next five years to become the largest subsegment,” he said.

Dive Insight:

Global AI spend will grow by nearly $1 trillion in 2026 compared to last year, Gartner’s report found. The growth spurt follows a significant expansion in overall IT spend so far this year, with spending rising 13.5% from 2025, a Gartner report from last month found.

Enterprises are expanding their use of AI models and agents across their workflows this year. Almost half of respondents of a recent Deloitte survey said they have more than 30 AI pilots in the works. AI models are planned to be integrated in multistep processes across a broad suite of tools, Gartner’s report said. 

“Up to this point, AI spending has primarily been driven by technology companies and hyperscalers,” said Lovelock. “Enterprises have yet to really flex their spending potential. That is coming and 2026 will be the inflection year.”

Spending on data centers will grow 55.8% in 2026, and is expected to surpass $788 billion, according to Gartner’s report from last month. Worldwide spending on AI models more than doubled from last year, with more than $32 billion projected for this year and nearly $60 billion for 2027.

Driving measurable enterprise value was the top priority for three-fourths of tech leaders recently surveyed by Deloitte. Lovelock said organizations are currently showing limited interest in using AI to drive disruptive enterprise change, but they like tactical AI initiatives that show incremental improvements in their productivity.

This can make it difficult for CIOs to prove the value of an organization’s AI investments, Lovelock said. Tech leaders should ensure that their organization’s AI initiatives are aligned with its business objectives to demonstrate tangible business outcomes. 

“This incremental approach persists despite AI hype and valuations that reflect aspirations to transform the broader economy,” he said.