Forrester: Global Technology Spend Will Grow By 7.8% In 2026 To Reach $5.6 Trillion
Despite US tariffs, tech spend across Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America will continue to grow this year
Forrester (NASDAQ:FORR) projects that global technology spend will grow by 7.8% in 2026 to reach $5.6 trillion — up from $5.2 trillion in 2025. According to Forrester's Global Tech Market Forecast, 2025 To 2030, despite US tariffs, in 2026, most countries will see similar economic growth compared to 2025. This momentum reflects continued AI investment and adoption across key industries, including the defense, financial services, healthcare, industry, and retail sectors globally.
As a result of this investment, tech spend in North America will grow by 9% to reach $2.28 trillion, while tech spend in Asia Pacific will grow by 7.9% to reach $1.1 trillion. In Europe, tech spend will grow by 6.3% to reach $1.75 trillion. Additionally, more than 70% of tech spend growth from 2025 to 2030 will stem from enterprise and government investments in computer equipment and software.
Key takeaways from Forrester's forecast include:
- Different regions will focus on different tech spend priorities. Even as US AI research investment exceeds $109 billion, government tariffs continue to impact the US economy and European countries reliant on US exports. Several countries are advancing national strategies to compete with the US: China's AI spending target rose to $98 billion in 2025; India is driving AI cloud adoption and expanding global capability centers to create double-digit IT spend growth in 2026; and along the same lines, the German economy is positioned to witness faster growth this year, partly from an increasing information and communication technology workforce.
- Defense, financial services, healthcare, industry, and retail will drive AI investment. Industries where complexity, cost, and competition are higher will continue to invest in AI. For example, despite a weaker economic outlook, technology spend by banks and insurance companies will be robust in 2026, driven by cybersecurity, cloud, and AI. Similarly, data storage, security hardware, cloud security, AI literacy training, and data governance will all boost tech spend in healthcare this year.
- Computer equipment and software will see the highest tech spend growth. Computer equipment will see 16.8% growth in 2026 due to rising AI server demand. Furthermore, AI-specialized computers, including AI servers, will capture more than 80% of computer equipment spend by 2030 — up from 43% in 2024. Additionally, cloud and AI will grow at twice the rate of the overall software market, which is poised to see 11.5% growth this year.
"In spite of economic volatility worldwide, tech spending will see robust growth, fueled by the defense, financial services, healthcare, industry, and retail sectors' continued investment in and adoption of AI," said Michael O'Grady, principal forecast analyst at Forrester. "Our research finds, however, that in order to successfully manage the impacts of tariffs, trade wars, and strong AI investment in the year ahead, businesses will need to prioritize AI initiatives that both drive productivity and foster the growth of AI-driven tech talent."
Resources:
- Read about Forrester's Global Tech Market Forecast, 2025 To 2030 in this blog or download the report here (client access required).
- Read about Forrester's US Tech Market Forecast, 2025 To 2030 in this blog or download the report here (client access required).
- Read about Forrester's European Tech Market Forecast, 2025 To 2030 in this blog or download the report here (client access required).
About Forrester
Forrester (NASDAQ:FORR) is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. We empower leaders in technology, customer experience, digital, marketing, sales, and product functions to be bold at work and accelerate growth through customer obsession. Our unique research and continuous guidance model helps executives and their teams achieve their initiatives and outcomes faster and with confidence. To learn more, visit Forrester.com.
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Ira Kantor
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