Gartner forecast in October 2024 that worldwide IT spending would reach $5.747 trillion in 2025, a 9.3% increase from 2024. That was a forecast, not a final tally: Gartner revised its 2025 estimate several times afterward. The October forecast pointed to GenAI infrastructure, software and services as contributors to growth, while warning that enterprise expectations for GenAI could outpace what current models and company data could deliver.
What Gartner’s 9.3% forecast covered
The October 23, 2024 forecast put worldwide spending across data center systems, devices, software, IT services and communication services at $5.747317 trillion for 2025, up from an estimated $5.260 trillion in 2024. Gartner’s figures were estimates in millions of U.S. dollars, not observed final spending. Gartner’s October 2024 release gives the category breakdown:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Business Analytics, Global Edition | $53.67 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Business Analytics: Data Analysis & Decision Making (MindTap Course List) | $38.10 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Business Analytics (MindTap Course List) | $97.77 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Business Analytics | $106.74 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Business Analytics: Data Analysis & Decision Making | $190.10 | Buy on Amazon |
| Category | 2025 estimated spend | 2025 estimated growth |
|---|---|---|
| Data center systems | $367.171 billion | 15.5% |
| Devices | $805.722 billion | 9.5% |
| Software | $1.239779 trillion | 14.0% |
| IT services | $1.737754 trillion | 9.4% |
| Communication services | $1.596890 trillion | 4.4% |
| Overall IT | $5.747317 trillion | 9.3% |
Data center systems had the highest projected growth rate. IT services were the largest category by projected spend, while communication services had the lowest projected growth. These comparisons describe Gartner’s October forecast, not the categories’ eventual 2025 results.
Why Gartner expected spending to rise
GenAI infrastructure and data centers
Gartner said GenAI spending at the time was concentrated among technology companies building the infrastructure needed to supply AI services. The firm expected spending to broaden beyond proofs of concept as CIOs began funding more GenAI work from 2025. Its October forecast projected data center systems spending to grow 15.5% to $367.171 billion.
#1 Best Overall
Gartner said data center systems spending had grown nearly 35% in 2024 and forecast that it would add nearly $50 billion in 2025. It also expected server sales to rise from more than $134 billion in 2023 to more than $257 billion in 2025, on the way to $332 billion by 2028. Those are figures and projections from the October 2024 release, not reported final sales.
Software and IT services
The forecast put software spending at about $1.24 trillion, up 14%, and IT services at about $1.74 trillion, up 9.4%. Gartner linked some expected growth in these categories to AI-related projects, including tools for email and authoring. It estimated that email and authoring would add $6.6 billion to global spending in 2024 and $7.4 billion in 2025, partly because of GenAI products and services.
Adoption alongside more modest expectations
Gartner analyst John-David Lovelock said technology companies were then doing most of the spending to build GenAI’s supply-side infrastructure. He expected CIOs to move beyond proof-of-concept projects, but cautioned that expectations for current models and the state of enterprise data were too high. In practical terms, the forecast anticipated more investment without assuming that early GenAI ambitions would all translate into working, valuable deployments.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Gartner’s 2025 forecast changed
The 9.3% figure is one dated forecast vintage, not a settled 2025 result. Gartner revised its estimate as the year progressed and later published additional estimates. The figures below are forecasts or estimates published on the stated dates; the cited releases do not establish an audited final total.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
| Gartner release date | 2025 worldwide IT spending estimate | Estimated growth | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 23, 2024 | $5.747 trillion | 9.3% | Initial forecast; growth drivers included GenAI infrastructure and related software and services. |
| January 21, 2025 | $5.61 trillion | 9.8% | Gartner said price increases in recurrent spending could absorb some CIO budget growth. January 2025 forecast. |
| July 15, 2025 | $5.43 trillion | 7.9% | Gartner described a pause in net-new spending amid uncertainty, alongside continued investment in AI-related infrastructure. July 2025 forecast. |
| April 22, 2026 | $5.564 trillion | 10.5% | Later Gartner forecast table listing an estimate for 2025. April 2026 release. |
| July 27, 2026 | $5.577 trillion | 10.7% | Later Gartner forecast table listing an estimate for 2025. July 2026 release. |
The revisions show why a forecast headline should always be read with its publication date. Gartner’s public release says its methodology draws heavily on sales analysis from more than a thousand vendors across IT products and services, combining primary research with secondary sources. The full Market Databook is described as available to Gartner clients; the public releases do not disclose the complete model and assumptions.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
How to interpret the headline
- It describes a broad market: Gartner’s total combines five major IT spending categories, not just AI-related purchases.
- GenAI was a driver, not the whole explanation: Gartner highlighted infrastructure investment and AI-related software and services, but did not attribute the entire 9.3% increase to GenAI.
- The highest growth rate was not the largest spending pool: data center systems led projected growth, while IT services had the largest projected 2025 spend.
- It is not a final actual: Gartner’s changing estimates reflect forecast updates, and the cited public releases do not establish a definitive realized total for 2025.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
