- AI Infrastructure Growth Remains Rapid
- Software Spending Shows Potential, Despite Lower Revision
- Device Growth Expected to Slow
Worldwide IT spending is expected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8% from 2025, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.
IT spending in Thailand is expected to reach almost THB1.1 trillion in 2026, up 8.36% from 2025, according to the latest forecast by Gartner.
Investments in AI-related infrastructure will continue to surge in 2026. Gartner forecasts spending on data center systems in Thailand by enterprises and service providers will see the largest growth, increasing 27.9% to THB70.6 billion. Within this category, server spending will increase almost 38% to reach THB51.1 billion in 2026, driven by investments in AI-optimised servers to support AI adoption.
Communications services remains the largest IT spending category in Thailand in 2026, mainly focused towards spending on mobile connectivity. Gartner forecasts communications services spending in Thailand will reach almost THB457.1 billion in 2026, a 2.63% increase from 2025.
“AI infrastructure growth remains rapid despite concerns about an AI bubble, with spending rising across AI‑related hardware and software,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “Demand from hyperscale cloud providers continues to drive investment in servers optimized for AI workloads.”
Server spending is projected to accelerate in 2026, growing 36.9% year-over-year. Total data center spending is expected to increase 31.7%, surpassing $650 billion in 2026, up from nearly $500 billion the previous year (see Table 1).
Software Spending Shows Second-Highest Growth Potential Despite Lower Revision
Software spending growth for 2026 has been slightly revised downward to 14.7%, from 15.2% for both application and infrastructure software.
“Despite the modest revision, total software spending will remain above $1.4 trillion,” said Lovelock. “Projections for generative AI (GenAI) model spending in 2026 remain unchanged, with growth expected at 80.8%. GenAI models continue to experience strong growth, and their share of the software market is expected to rise by 1.8% in 2026.”
Device Growth Expected to Slow in 2026
Shipments of mobile phones, PCs, and tablets continue to grow steadily. Total spending on devices is projected to reach $836 billion in 2026. However, market-demand constraints will slow growth to 6.1% in 2026.
“This slowdown is largely due to rising memory prices, which are increasing average selling prices and discouraging device replacements,” said Lovelock. “Additionally, higher memory costs are causing shortages in the lower end of the market, where profit margins are thinner. These factors are contributing to more muted growth in device shipments.”
