According to Gartner studies, companies in Europe are continuing to invest heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) – despite global uncertainties. But AI’s hunger for energy raises questions. At the greentech trade fair TransformIT Europe 2026 in Brussels, the focus is on sustainable IT.

By Jan Nintemann and Jochen Siegle; Photo: Igor Omilaev, Unsplash

In Europe, the focus on sustainable IT infrastructure is growing. Cloud services, efficient data centers, and resource-saving AI applications are considered key elements for climate-friendly digitalization.

Europe discusses: How to achieve a digital but green future?

The TransformIT Europe Conference & Expo will once again offer a central platform for these discussions in 2026. A highlight: the Google Developer Group Conference on the Future of European AI, where developers, companies, and political stakeholders will present solutions for a sustainable AI strategy “made in Europe”.

AI remains the growth driver of IT spending

According to Gartner, global IT spending is projected to reach approximately 5.43 trillion US dollars in 2025 — an increase of nearly 8% compared to the previous year.

The strongest growth is expected in the data center sector: +42%, mainly due to the growing demand for AI infrastructure. Software and services are also growing, while traditional hardware areas are stagnating or growing only slowly.

Invest or wait and see? Companies are divided

62% of managers surveyed by Gartner see AI as a decisive competitive factor for the next ten years. At the same time, skepticism remains: only 24% expect to exceed their targets for 2025. Many companies are investing cautiously – or postponing projects.

Long-term, stable solutions such as managed services and cloud platforms remain particularly in demand, while short-term projects tend to be slowed down

AI is anything but green: high power consumption is becoming a problem

Despite all the euphoria surrounding ChatGPT & Co, it is clear that generative AI is a massive energy consumer. Operating large language models requires enormous computing power – often based on energy-intensive data centers.

This will also be a key topic at TransformIT Europe 2026: How can the carbon footprint of AI be improved? And how can Europe become a leader in Green IT and Greentech infrastructure?