Gartner sees accelerating growth in IT spending, powered by cloud and AI infrastructure investment

A day after the International Energy Agency (IEA) said the US/Israel/Iran war was creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the ‌world, Gartner increased its growth forecasts for global IT spending by nearly three percentage points.

The spike in the cost of oil and gas caused by the on-going conflict has no direct relationship to IT spending, argues John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. There is possible indirect impact on both business and consumer confidence, but the numbers show little evidence of that yet, he told The Register.

Gartner forecasts worldwide IT spending will grow to 13.5 percent in 2026 to reach $6.31 trillion. In February, it forecast 10.8 percent growth to reach $6.15 trillion.

“The price of oil has very little to do with it,” Lovelock said. “The closest direct effect we can get is in some countries, the price of ...