- Europe’s tech services market saw record demand for cloud and AI-related services in Q4 2025, driven by strong XaaS growth and managed services momentum.
- Demand for these services reached unprecedented levels, signalling sustained enterprise investment across cloud-based infrastructure and AI capabilities.
What happened: Europe sees record AI-driven cloud and managed services demand
Europe’s technology services sector closed out the fourth quarter of 2025 with its strongest performance of the year, according to the latest EMEA ISG Index™ released by global research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) on January 19, 2026.
The report shows that annual contract value (ACV) for cloud-based and managed services soared, setting a new regional record of US $10.9 billion in Q4 — marking eight consecutive quarters of growth. Strong demand for cloud-based as-a-service (XaaS) contracts, which grew 34% year-on-year, was a key driver, reflecting deepening enterprise adoption of cloud platforms and AI-powered workloads. Managed services contract value also rose 19 per cent in the quarter, underscoring a resilient appetite for outsourced IT and business functions.
ISG President Anthony Drake commented that the cloud and AI boom helped Europe finish 2025 with a “remarkable end to a strong year”, with XaaS and engineering services contributing to larger and more complex deals.
The EMEA ISG Index™ — widely regarded as a leading indicator of sourcing and IT services demand — measures outsourcing and cloud contracts with ACV of at least US $5 million. European markets such as Germany, the Nordics and the UK all reported double-digit increases in cloud and managed services demand in Q4; France was a notable exception, with ACV declining.
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Why it’s important
For technology firms, cloud providers and communications companies, this report is notable not only for its record figures but for what it signifies: cloud and AI integration have moved from strategic pilots into core business operations across European enterprises. Sustained XaaS growth reflects a broader shift toward cloud-native platforms, AI-enabled infrastructure and hybrid IT models that require robust managed services support.
In particular, telecoms, networking vendors and systems integrators should take note of the expanding market for managed services and cloud contracts, which now frequently include AI-centric offerings and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) components. This trend creates new revenue opportunities for partnerships, cloud migration projects and AI-oriented service portfolios — particularly as enterprises balance cost efficiency with innovation.
Furthermore, the record demand reinforces Europe’s competitive positioning in digital transformation, even amid macroeconomic headwinds. Moving into 2026, cloud-led growth is expected to remain a key investment theme for enterprises navigating hybrid work, digital automation and AI deployment.
