AI spending to hit US$2.52t in 2026

Global AI spending will reach US$2.52 trillion in 2026, with infrastructure accounting for the largest share of that outlay as enterprises move from pilot projects to large-scale operational deployments, according to Gartner

The growth represents a 44 percent year-on-year jump in AI investment with AI shifting from experimental hype to a foundational layer in enterprise IT roadmaps.

Gartner’s latest forecast shows AI infrastructure accounting for more than half of total AI spending in 2026, reaching US$1.37 trillion as enterprises race to build and rent GPU-rich data centre capacity. That buildout includes AI-optimised servers, which alone will see spending jump 49 percent and make up roughly 17 percent of all AI investment next year, reflecting insatiable demand for training and inference workloads across industries.

AI infrastructure will add an incremental US$401 billion of spend in 2026 as cloud providers and hyperscalers expand their AI foundations to capture enterprise demand. This capex-heavy phase cements infrastructure as the economic engine of the AI cycle, even as software and services remain critical for realising business outcomes.

race to monetise

AI services will increase to US$589 billion in 2026, up from US$439 billion in 2025, as enterprises lean on consultancies, integrators and managed service providers to modernise data pipelines and embed AI into workflows.

AI software, which includes application software, platforms for data science and machine learning, and specialised AI models, is expected to grow even faster, from US$283 billion in 2025 to US$452 billion in 2026.

Spending on AI models alone will nearly double to US$26 billion, while platforms for data science and ML will exceed US$31 billion as enterprises standardise on tooling for experimentation and deployment.

“Organisations with greater experiential maturity and self-awareness are increasingly prioritising proven outcomes over speculative potential,” said said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst of Gartner.

The projected US$2.52 trillion in AI spending also intensifies competition among hyperscalers, chipmakers and emerging AI infrastructure providers, particularly as non‑US cloud vendors and Chinese players ramp their own AI data centre investments.

For enterprises in Asia-Pacific, the prediction signals a narrowing window to secure capacity, talent and partnerships before AI infrastructure constraints and rising costs bite. This means locking in GPU access, modernising data estates and aligning with incumbent software suppliers’ AI roadmaps will be as important as picking the right foundation model.