IT spending in Europe is projected to total $1.28 trillion in 2025, an increase of 8.7% from 2024, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. IT spending in Europe is on pace to reach $1.18 trillion by the end of 2024.
“In 2024, the surge of building out AI-related infrastructure by technology providers is driving high levels of spending on data center systems in Europe,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “CIOs in Europe will continue investing in public cloud end-user spending, which is estimated to reach $123 billion in 2024, and grow their security spending, projected to reach $47 billion in 2024.”
Spending Priorities in 2025
European businesses that have recognized IT’s value during the pandemic is set to significantly boost IT spending in 2025 to stay competitive and grow revenue. Aided by a surging interest for generative AI (GenAI) solutions, CIOs in Europe will drive their IT budgets into an era of high growth and innovation. 2025 is poised to set a record as the highest growth rate in IT spending in a single year in Europe since the post-pandemic surge in 2021 (see Table 1).
Table 1. Europe IT Spending Forecast (Millions of U.S. Dollars)
|
2024 Spending |
2024 Growth (%) |
2025 Spending |
2025 Growth (%) |
|
| Data Center Systems | 50,043 | 11.1 | 54,410 | 8.7 |
| Devices | 134,239 | 6.4 | 146,700 | 9.3 |
| Software | 254,554 | 11.4 | 288,163 | 13.2 |
| IT Services | 448,572 | 6.6 | 489,767 | 9.2 |
| Communications Services | 292,280 | 3.0 | 302,705 | 3.6 |
| Overall IT | 1,179,687 | 6.8 | 1,281,744 | 8.7 |
Source: Gartner (November 2024)
“The limited success of many pilots and proofs of concept (POCs) in 2024, will push European organizations to shift from building their own GenAI solutions to buying and implementing partner solutions in 2025,” said Lovelock.
Gartner estimates spending on IT services related to AI in Europe will grow from $78 billion in 2024 to $94 billion in 2025.
Data Center Trends in Europe
End-user spending on servers in Europe is estimated to grow 25% in 2024 due to increased demand for AI-optimized servers. Spending on servers will continue to grow in 2025 but at a slower pace (11%). “Europe has seen a remarkable 46% increase in server spending by technology providers in 2024. In 2025, technology companies will continue building out the infrastructure needed for training GenAI models today and inferencing them in the future,” said Lovelock.
Gartner’s IT spending forecast methodology relies heavily on rigorous analysis of the sales by over a thousand vendors across the entire range of IT products and services. Gartner uses primary research techniques, complemented by secondary research sources, to build a comprehensive database of market size data on which to base its forecast.
The Gartner quarterly IT spending forecast delivers a unique perspective on IT spending across the hardware, software, IT services and telecommunications segments. These reports help Gartner clients understand market opportunities and challenges. The most recent IT spending forecast research is available to Gartner clients in “Gartner Market Databook, 3Q24 Update.”
