The global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) will continue to rise, growing by over 15% in 2025, according to IDC ’s latest Worldwide Semiconductor Technology Supply Chain Intelligence report. Major application markets, ranging from cloud data centers to specific industry segments, are expected to undergo upgrades, heralding a new boom for the semiconductor industry.

AI and generative AI (GenAI) are driving rapid increases in electricity consumption, with data center forecasts over the next two years reaching as high as 160% growth, according to Gartner, Inc. As a result, Gartner predicts 40% of existing AI data centers will be operationally constrained by power availability by 2027.

PC shipments during the fourth quarter of 2024 grew 1.8% from the prior year with global volumes reaching 68.9 million shipments, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. For the full year, PC vendors shipped 262.7 million PCs, up 1% from 2023. Looking ahead to 2025, the PC industry has several tailwinds and headwinds, which makes for a challenging outlook and difficult demand planning.

A Gartner, Inc. survey of 451 senior technology leaders in the second quarter of 2024, found that 45% of CIOs in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) said they are tasked with leading an AI strategy in their enterprise. However, four emerging challenges are making it difficult for CIOs to deliver value with AI.

“Because of the relentless innovation happening in the tech vendor race, CIOs feel like they are always living the hype, while the reality of their AI outcomes race - how tough it is to get value - makes it feel like they are also in the trough,” said Alicia Mullery, VP Research at Gartner.

Worldwide tablet shipments grew 20.4% in the third quarter of 2024 (3Q24), totaling 39.6 million units, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. The dismal 2023 market makes for easy year-over-year comparisons, but optimism is growing on the supply side of the industry which is a win overall. A handful of device refreshes occurred during the recent quarters, and active channel filings were undertaken in preparation for major promotional events and the holiday season. Not surprising to anyone, AI is becoming increasingly integrated into the tablet market, but outside of the Surface led Windows detachable Copilot+ marketing, the remainder is early days at best. Regardless, these innovations bring a wave of much needed optimism in the tablet market, piquing consumer interest, and potentially higher ASPs.

Enterprises are turning to the cloud to access the resources they need to execute their AI strategies, according to a new research report from Information Services Group ( ISG ).

The ISG Buyers Guide for Cloud-Native AI and Data Platforms, produced by ISG Software Research, projects that through 2026, more than one-third of enterprises will deploy cloud-native AI and data platforms in their information architectures. Most leading cloud providers offer both AI and data capabilities, while independent software providers offer AI and data platforms built to operate natively in and across cloud environments, the report says.

Gartner, Inc. predicts that through 2027, Fortune 500 companies will shift $500 billion from energy operating expenditure (opex) to microgrids to mitigate chronic energy risks and AI demand. “We are seeing warning signals that electricity demand is outstripping supply due to delays in investment and permitting,” said Lloyd Jones, VP Analyst at Gartner. Fortune 500 companies are already investing in infrastructure, such as microgrids, as energy pricing and availability are reaching a tipping point. “In doing so, they are shifting their operational electricity spending from utilities to capital investment in dedicated electricity infrastructure projects,” said Jones. “This allows them to meet their own energy needs and better control their costs going forward.”

BOSTON—AI is already transforming industries and starting to reshape economies and is poised to profoundly shape the future of economic development over the next few years. The expansive scale of this growth makes AI an economic priority in every region around the globe. However, new Boston Consulting Group (BCG) research has established that most economies are underprepared for AI-driven disruption. The study, released today, shows that over 70% of the economies studied score below average in critical areas such as ecosystem participation, skills, and research and development.

According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2025 technology and security predictions, 75% of technology decision-makers will see their technical debt rise to a moderate or high level of severity by 2026. This will be due to the rapid development of AI solutions, which are adding complexity to IT landscapes.

To stem the tsunami of technical debt, in 2025, tech leaders will triple the adoption of AI for IT operations (AIOps) platforms, which deliver contextually aware data to enhance human judgment, automatically remediate incidents, and improve business outcomes. While AIOps is the future, IT leaders aiming to run a high-performance IT organization will also need to invest in building the right culture, data, architecture, and security practices to accelerate business growth.

Sectors more exposed to AI are experiencing almost five times (4.8x) higher growth in labor productivity, according to PwC’s inaugural 2024 Global AI Jobs Barometer, published today.

The report, which analyzed over half a billion job ads from 15 countries, suggests that AI could allow many nations to break out of persistent low productivity growth, generating economic development, higher wages, and enhanced living standards.

The report finds that for every job posting requiring AI specialist skills (i.e., machine learning) in 2012, there are now seven job postings.1 PwC research also finds that growth in jobs demanding AI skills has outpaced all jobs since 2016, with postings for jobs requiring AI skills growing 3.5x faster than for all jobs

The global market for IT and business services achieved record results in the third quarter, climbing back to the pinnacle of performance following an extended slump that reached bottom more than a year ago, according to the latest state-of-the industry report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III ), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

Data from the global ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of $5 million or more, show third-quarter ACV for the combined global market (both managed services and cloud-based as-a-service) reached a record $26.7 billion, up 15 percent versus the prior year and at its highest level since its previous peak of $26.4 billion in the first quarter of 2022. It was the fifth straight quarter the global market has advanced sequentially since hitting a low point of $23.2 billion in the second quarter last year.

According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2025 B2C marketing and customer experience (CX) predictions, rising prices will prompt brand loyalty to decline by 25% in 2025. But while brand loyalty falters, loyalty programs will gain in popularity as consumers look for brands that provide value and give them a reprieve from indiscriminate price shopping.

Forrester’s B2C marketing and CX predictions analyze the dynamics and emerging trends to watch for in the year ahead. These insights help leaders and their teams prepare for future challenges and take advantage of new opportunities to thrive in 2025. Topics include: B2C marketing; customer experience; consumer; media and advertising; and marketing agencies.

According to a recent research from International Data Corporation (IDC) entitled The Global Impact of Arti f icial Intelligence on the Economy and Jobs, AI will have a cumulative global economic impact of $19.9 trillion through 2030 and will drive 3.5% global GDP in 2030. Brought about by continued business spending on artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, use of AI in existing business operations and in the delivery of better products and services to customers, this highlights the huge potential of AI in transforming businesses, reshaping industries, creating new markets, and altering the competitive landscape.

BOSTON—Inflation, increased barriers to trade, and relatively low global growth are among the factors currently placing tremendous pressure on business leaders and forcing firms to review and re-evaluate their costs to stay competitive and innovate. Despite these high stakes, only 48% of companies on average achieve their cost savings targets. Further, only 35% of executives report that their organizations’ approach to cost is strategic and planned, while the remaining 65% admit that their most recent cost-optimization program was an ad-hoc response to changing market conditions.

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.”

The survey, conducted from June through July 2024 among 258 sourcing and procurement leaders, was designed to help chief procurement officers (CPOs) understand and prioritize the most significant risks that could impede procurement operations, and what actions can be taken to manage them effectively.

"CPOs’ concerns about supply disruptions reflect the often unpredictable nature and potentially existential impacts of these events," said Andrea Greenwald, Senior Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice. "They are coming to understand that the reactive measures they have employed to manage risks over the past four years will not be sufficient for the next four.