What is really shaping IT investment across EMEA in 2026?
Across EMEA, IT spending continues to grow, but the forces shaping that growth are becoming more complex. Geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and economic uncertainty are increasing the pressure on organisations to prioritise resilience and operational stability, even as executive expectations around artificial intelligence continue to rise. Many enterprises are now moving beyond experimentation and beginning to explore how AI can be operationalised at scale. The question for 2026 is not simply whether AI investment will continue, but how organisations balance innovation ambitions with resilience priorities in a rapidly evolving market environment.
Growth remains stable but increasingly concentrated
IT spending across EMEA is expected to grow by 7% in 2026, driven primarily by the continued double‑digit expansion of the software market. While 2025 was marked by a surge in the Service Provider segment, 2026 shows a more balanced outlook, with both Enterprise and Service Provider spending following similar growth trajectories. The only exception is the Consumer market, which remains flat (Source: IDC Worldwide Black Book, March 2026).
Geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and an increasingly complex regulatory landscape continue to reshape investment priorities across EMEA. As explored in our recent analysis of how ongoing conflicts are stress-testing the digital economy, organisations are placing greater emphasis on resilience, operational continuity and regional autonomy in their technology strategies. IT spending is therefore not slowing, but becoming more deliberate and selective, with investment increasingly directed toward capabilities that strengthen stability and long-term adaptability in an uncertain global environment.
Executive expectations are raising the bar
At the same time, executive ambition around AI continues to intensify. IDC research indicates that 50 percent of CEOs believe AI will offer their organisation the opportunity to reinvent its business model within the next three to five years.
This signals a shift in how AI is positioned within enterprise strategy. AI is no longer viewed primarily as a tool for experimentation or incremental efficiency gains. Instead, it is increasingly expected to deliver tangible transformation, automation and competitive differentiation.
However, survey data also shows that some organisations are reassessing elements of their AI programmes. Concerns around return on investment, governance, data readiness and skills availability are influencing decision-making across the region. The result is a more demanding environment in which expectations are rising but scrutiny is increasing as well.
From experimentation to operational AI
Across EMEA, AI maturity is evolving. The early phase of generative AI experimentation is giving way to a stronger focus on operational deployment.
Organisations are now moving beyond isolated pilots towards integrating AI capabilities into core workflows, enterprise applications and decision-making processes. This transition reflects a broader shift towards operational AI and the emergence of more agentic enterprise models.
At the same time, scaling AI requires far more than access to models. Infrastructure readiness, data management capabilities, governance frameworks and organisational skills are becoming decisive factors in determining whether organisations can move from experimentation to sustained operational impact.
Resilience, governance and execution will define the next phase
The evolving EMEA technology landscape is therefore shaped by a combination of innovation pressure and structural constraints. Geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory requirements and resilience priorities are increasingly influencing technology investment decisions.
For technology providers operating in the region, understanding these dynamics is critical. Growth opportunities remain significant, but they are tied more closely to execution readiness, operational maturity and the ability to support organisations as they scale AI responsibly.
Join the conversation
In our upcoming webcast on April 28, IDC analysts Andrea Siviero, Stephen Minton, and team will explore what these shifts mean for the EMEA IT market in 2026, including:
- How geopolitical developments and resilience priorities are influencing IT investment across the region
- Where growth is concentrated across EMEA markets and industries
- How organisations are moving from AI experimentation to operational deployment
- What the rise of more agentic enterprise models means for enterprise technology environments
