Global ICT spending to reach PHP 242.76 trillion in 2026 as AI adoption soars

Driven by an explosion in AI platforms and robust hardware growth, the global tech market is set for a massive 2026.

Data from IDC

AI and Software: The New Pillars of Global Tech Investment

Global spending on information and communications technology (ICT) is projected to reach USD 4 trillion or PHP 242.76 trillion in 2026, according to the latest update of the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide ICT Spending Guide Enterprise and SMB by Industry.

Excluding the consumer segment, the ICT market is projected to grow 10 percent in 2026, driven by the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, which will grow over 70 percent by the end of the year.

Among the main drivers for ICT spending, software is seen as the largest technology group in 2026, absorbing more than 33 percent of global spending. This surge is primarily fueled by robust investments in enterprise resource management (ERM) applications, security software, and production and operations applications, which together will account for over one-third of total global software expenditure.

Hardware, meanwhile, is set to be the fastest-growing technology group, with a projected year-over-year growth rate of 15 percent this year, thanks to the significant momentum in non-x86 servers, the proliferation of wearables, and increased adoption of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).

IDC said this underscores the rising demand for specialized compute infrastructure, edge devices, and scalable cloud resources to support next-generation workloads and hybrid environments.

Software and information services, banking, and retail will be the three largest spending industries and together will represent over USD 1 billion or around PHP 60.69 billion in ICT spending in 2026. The next five largest industries will account for more than 20 percent of worldwide spending.

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Source: IDC