Gartner released its latest IT spending forecast on October 21. Worldwide IT spending will reach $7.35 trillion in 2027, up 15%, crossing $7 trillion for the first time.
Most coverage focused on data centers. Data center systems add $487 billion in 2027, about half of the total increase. For B2B + AI, the software line matters more, and it’s easy to misread.
Software Grows From $1.46 Trillion to $1.68 Trillion
Gartner’s table, in billions:
| Segment | 2026 | 2026 Growth | 2027 | 2027 Growth | $ Added in 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Center Systems | $879 | 73.8% | $1,366 | 55.5% | $487 |
| Software | $1,464 | 15.2% | $1,679 | 14.6% | $215 |
| IT Services | $1,557 | 4.4% | $1,633 | 4.9% | $76 |
| IaaS | $292 | 31.3% | $367 | 25.7% | $75 |
| Devices | $847 | 7.2% | $916 | 8.1% | $69 |
| Communications Services | $1,352 | 4.1% | $1,391 | 2.9% | $39 |
| Total | $6,391 | 14.5% | $7,352 | 15.0% | $961 |
Software adds $215 billion in one year, second only to data centers.
A year ago, Gartner had software at $1,244 billion in 2025, growing 11.9%, and forecast $1,433 billion for 2026. The 2026 estimate is now $1,464 billion, revised up $31 billion. That’s roughly $435 billion of new software spend between 2025 and 2027.
Software’s Share of IT Stays at 23%. Data Centers Go From 14% to 19%.
Software is 22.9% of IT spend in 2026 and 22.8% in 2027. Data centers go from 13.8% to 18.6%. Software is keeping pace with a historic IT boom, and AI infrastructure is taking all the share gains.
Lovelock said as much in the release: “Increasingly, the growth of the digital economy is being determined not only by software adoption, but also by the ability to finance, build and monetize AI infrastructure at an unprecedented scale.”
GenAI Models Grow 117% Inside the Same 14.6%
14.6% blends every kind of software. Gartner’s sub-forecasts show how lopsided it is.
Models: 117%. In its September AI forecast, Gartner raised the growth rate for GenAI models in 2026 from 110% in the previous forecast to 117%. That spend sits in the software line, and a big slice of the $215 billion goes to a short list of model providers.
AI app dev platforms: 39%. Gartner raised the short-term outlook for AI application development platforms from 28% growth in 2026 to 39%. That’s the build-it-yourself budget.
Incumbents: embedded AI. Gartner’s read is that enterprises are mostly buying simpler embedded AI features from their incumbent vendors. The AI SKU on the system of record gets bought first.
Price. Lovelock said it last year: “The cost of software is going up and both the cost of features and functionality is going up as well thanks to GenAI.” A meaningful share of the 14.6% is the same seats at higher prices, plus AI add-ons and usage meters.
With models above 100%, AI platforms at 39%, and price increases on top, plenty of standard B2B apps are growing well below the 14.6% average.
Gartner Predicts Real-Time AI FinOps at the Global 500 by 2028
Buyers are noticing the price increases. Gartner’s predictions from the same symposium include Global 500 firms moving from retrospective cost reporting to real-time AI FinOps by 2028, plus new roles tying token spend to returns.
Agents calling vendor APIs around the clock can multiply a usage bill fast. Once a FinOps team audits those calls, a lot of them turn out to be redundant, and that usage revenue goes away.
4 in 5 New Apps Built for Under a Year of Use by 2029
Gartner also predicts that by 2029, four in five new apps will be built for use under a year, because AI makes it easy for employees to create temporary applications.
Pair that with AI app dev platforms growing 39%. The departmental tool, the internal tracker and the niche workflow app now get built in an afternoon by the person who needs them. That spend still counts as software in Gartner’s table, but it goes to the platform, not the app vendor.
Software adds $215 billion next year. Before planning 2027 around a 14.6% market, work out how much of that goes to models, AI platforms and incumbent price increases, and how much is left for your category.
Source: Gartner, “Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 15% in 2027, Totaling $7.35 Trillion,” October 21, 2026. Share and dollar-added figures are SaaStr’s arithmetic from Gartner’s table.
