CIO Executive Council

Semiconductor shortages fueled by AI infrastructure demand are no longer a temporary disruption — and state and local governments are bearing the consequences. This presentation examines what structural semiconductor scarcity means for government technology planning through 2027, and how agencies can reduce risk, protect budgets, and sustain service continuity in an increasingly constrained supply environment.

In this blog, author Gerald Johnston, Adjunct Research Advisor, IDC, examines the growing complexity of the CIO role. He shares “IT has never been an easy job for CIOs and their teams. There’s the day-to-day reality of running the business, keeping systems available, managing risk, supporting customers, and delivering new capabilities. At the same time, CIOs are expected to keep pace with both the evolution of existing technologies and the steady stream of new ones entering the market. Some of the toughest challenges aren’t technical. They come from friction across roles, overlap, turf, and unclear ownership across IT and the business.” Johnston then considers how AI can help on the technology, while also introducing a new set of challenges.

This IDC Survey Spotlight, prepared by Amy Loomis, Ph.D. and Wayne Kurtzman, ‘examines how regional and industry differences are shaping onsite workplace strategies for 2026. Findings highlight three global priorities — redesigning meeting spaces, adding office AI tools, and optimizing space via subleasing — with clear regional variation (APAC strongest on redesign/subleasing, North America on AI tools, and EMEA more balanced).’

As AI transforms how organizations operate, technology leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the cultural response. Within this presentation, Frank Feagans, former VP IT & CIO, University of Texas at Dallas, examines the ways in which AI adoption affects team dynamics, decision-making, and leadership models. He also shares how to foster a culture of innovation, trust, and ethical AI use to ensure your organization thrives in an AI-driven future.

This IDC PlanScape, prepared by Karen D. Schwartz, Maureen Fleming, Eric Newmark, Robert Parker, Peter Rutten, and David Schubmehl, examines AI process optimization to maximize benefits and avoid risk.

“Embedding AI into business processes has tremendous potential, but it also can introduce increased risk without the right preparation,” says Karen D. Schwartz, adjunct research analyst, IDC’s IT Executive Programs (IEP). “It’s critical to ensure that processes are ready for AI, along with choosing the best use cases, because some processes aren’t good candidates.”

This IDC Perspective, written by Clay Miller, Senior Executive Advisor, maintains that most organizations are solving the wrong problem in core platform decisions. By treating these commitments as onetime procurement events that optimize for current feature sets and initial pricing, enterprises defer the governance decisions that will actually determine long-term outcomes. In an environment where more than half of organizations are considering switching their primary ERP or CRM vendor, where 68% of CIOs are running active vendor consolidation initiatives, and where 40% of organizations are already projected to miss their 2026 AI goals because of implementation complexity and governance gaps, the cost of this deferral is rising sharply.

As technology continues to reshape business landscapes, the role of the CIO is undergoing profound transformation. No longer confined to managing IT infrastructure, today’s CIOs are strategic leaders driving innovation, digital transformation, and competitive advantage.

During this interactive session, CIO Executive Council member, Stephanie Roede, Executive Director, IT Enterprise Systems at Neurocrine Biosciences, explored how CIOs are adapting to emerging technologies—such as AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity—and aligning tech initiatives with broader business goals. Attendees gained insights into the skills, mindset, and organizational influence required to thrive in this dynamic role.

During this webinar, Alizabeth Calder, Adjunct Research Advisor, IT Executive Programs, IDC, led an interactive discussion on the importance of product mindset to amplify growth. The conversation examined the ways in which a product mindset provides the foundation to compound growth by ensuring digital alignment with business goals. Alizabeth also provided strategies for CIOs to achieve success by positioning the best of future-facing thought leadership to leverage digital investment that will be impactful for business growth and innovation.

This IDC Tech Buyer Survey Spotlight, prepared by Mona Liddell, Research Manager, Quantitative Analysis, CIO Executive Research, examines how organizations are adopting and scaling AI agents, based on data from the Future Enterprise Resilience and Spending Survey, Waves 8 and 9. The findings show a clear divide: Digital-native organizations are already ahead, with many running AI agents in production and at scale, while non-digital natives are less mature but planning rapid expansion over the next two years. By 2026, large-scale AI agent deployments are expected to be common across both groups, signaling a shift from experimentation to operational reality.

This IDC PeerScape, authored by Stanley B. Gibson, adjunct research advisor for IDC’s IT Executive Programs (IEP), highlights the practices to build a data-first organization in the public sector.

“‘Data first’ encapsulates a strategy that is vital to the success of public sector organizations. Key to overcoming tech debt and bureaucratic inertia, it is likely to prove indispensable for an agency or a department to succeed in its mission of delivering value to the public,” says Gibson.

The IT industry stands on the brink of one of its most transformative eras, triggering major consolidations in many long-standing sectors and the emergence of major new markets. IDC’s latest research shows that the infusion of autonomy, adaptability, and decision-making into products and services with agentic AI is redefining the very foundation of technology design, delivery, and value creation. It goes beyond an evolution in AI adoption. It’s a structural shift that will determine which technology providers lead in the emerging agent economy and which struggle to adapt.