Global IT spend hits $6.15T
Global IT spending is forecast to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026 as tech giants boost capex, a trend that tightens competition for institutional ed‑tech budgets reported. A separate market note predicts the higher‑education technology market will boom through 2033, reinforcing demand for LMS and accessibility upgrades reported.
Amazon and Google have signalled massive infrastructure bets for 2026—Amazon boosted planned capex to $200 [billion datacenterdynamics.com] while Alphabet guided 2026 capex to roughly $175–185 [billion datacenterdynamics.com]. Gartner flagged that the surge in enterprise IT spending is concentrated in AI infrastructure and data‑center systems, with those categories driving the largest year‑over‑year increases in vendor and cloud provider [buys gartner.com]. Market research firms show higher‑education technology demand diverging by estimate: Spherical Insights forecasts growth from about $43 billion in 2023 to $241.94 billion by 2033 at an ~18.87% [CAGR sphericalinsights.com], while Grand View Research projects the sector rising from $36.24 billion in 2022 to $140.4 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~18.6% 2023–2030) [grandviewresearch.com]. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Title II digital‑accessibility rule was finalized in April 2024 and is set for enforcement beginning April 24, 2026 (with some locales eligible for a later April 26, 2027 compliance date), creating firm upgrade deadlines for public colleges and [universities onlinelearningconsortium.org]. Litigation pressure has climbed: UsableNet tracked roughly 2,019 ADA digital‑accessibility filings in the first half of 2025 alone, and industry trackers reported about 3,188 accessibility lawsuits in 2024, underscoring legal risk for institutions that delay [remediation info.usablenet.com]. Institutional budgets show constraint and competing priorities: EDUCAUSE’s Core Data Service reports a median central IT expenditure of $10.6 million (prior fiscal year benchmark) while a 2025 Transact/CBORD study found 49% of campuses accelerating tech investments even as 44% cite implementation as their biggest challenge—tightening procurement windows for LMS and accessibility [projects educause.edu].
