Trends

Gartner sees AI investment nearing $1.5T this year

Global spending on AI is forecast to hit US$1.48 trillion in 2025, driven by growth in generative AI tools, according to Gartner.

Gartner sees AI investment nearing $1.5T this year

Headline

Global spending on AI is forecast to hit US$1.48 trillion in 2025, driven by growth in generative AI tools, according to Gartner.

Context

According to market-research firm Gartner , companies worldwide are set to spend nearly $1.48 trillion on artificial intelligence in 2025. That is a big jump from approximately $987.9 billion in 2024. By 2026, spending is forecast to exceed $2 trillion. A large part of the growth comes from AI-optimised servers. These include both GPU and non-GPU accelerators. Investment here is expected to more than double within two years, rising to almost $330 billion by 2027/8. Other fast-growing areas include AI infrastructure software, AI-optimised infrastructure as a service (IaaS), AI chips, GenAI models, AI PCs (both ARM and x86), and AI applications.

Evidence

Pending intelligence enrichment.

Analysis

Gartner also points out that much of this spending is new rather than replacing existing technology. The purchase of AI-optimised servers does not reduce purchases of traditional servers. It is extra investment. The trend is not limited to US firms. Chinese companies and newer cloud-service providers are increasing their AI infrastructure investment. Also Read: ‘EU AI Act’ takes effect in August: A landmark regulation for AI Also Read: Salesforce to buy Informatica for $8B to boost AI platform This level of spending shows AI is no longer optional. Organisations in many sectors will face increasing pressure to adopt AI. The report suggests that soon almost every phone, PC, tablet or laptop will include generative AI built in. For technology vendors, this opens huge demand for hardware, software, cloud services. It means manufacturers of servers, chips and PCs must design for AI capabilities. Otherwise they risk being left behind.

Key Points

  • Global spending on AI is forecast to reach $1.48 trillion in 2025, up from just under US$1 trillion in 2024.
  • Spending on AI-optimised servers, infrastructure, chips, PCs and GenAI models expected to grow sharply through 2026.

Actions

Pending intelligence enrichment.

Author

Jocelyn Fang