Gartner Forecasts AI Software Spend to Reach $453B in 2026, $638B in 2027

Enterprise budgets are moving from AI pilots into software purchases. The signal is broad, not tactical: useful for market selection, weak for immediate execution.

• —Gartner projects 60% YoY growth in AI software spend for 2026, framing AI software as a budget line, not a side experiment.
• —The 2027 forecast adds another 41% jump, which points to multi-year demand rather than a one-off procurement spike.
• —SaaStr calls it the largest single-year jump in B2B software spend it has seen. Good category signal, but no pricing or channel tactics here.