Tariff uncertainty leads IDC to downgrade global IT spending forecast, IDC now says growth between +5% and +9%.
In International Data Corporation’s (IDC) latest State of the Market discussion to be held as a webinar on 14th May, analysts will examine the economic impact of newly imposed tariffs, the resulting shifts in global supply chains, and the revised global IT spending outlook—now forecast to grow between 5% and 9% amid rising uncertainty.
Key questions analysts will address:
- How could new tariffs and other economic policies impact global IT spending in 2025 and 2026?
- Which countries and market sectors will be most affected in terms of slower investment growth or declines?
- When and where will supply chain transformation take hold, and how will it reshape the structure of the global Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry?
- What can technology vendors do now to position themselves for success amid today’s chaos, uncertainty, and industry transformation?
“Consumers are likely to feel a significant pinch from these tariffs. We anticipate increased costs for popular tech like iPhones and earbuds, with potential ‘collateral’ price hikes for PCs due to component sourcing. Beyond price, expect supply chain disruptions leading to limited product selection and potential delays. While not immediate, long-term infrastructure investments in servers could also slow, eventually impacting service performance and new feature rollouts for consumers,” said Crawford Del Prete, President of IDC.
“The 90-day delay on tariff implementation has left the global economy mired in uncertainty, at least until the second half of 2025. We at IDC are explaining what this all means, from short-term spending forecasts to long-term supply chain transformation. Regarding IT spending forecasts, the impact of tariff uncertainty on business conditions, and overall market transformation, our updated Black Book summary indicates we’re seeing tariff uncertainty already impacting business conditions in North America, leading to a decrease in our baseline IT spending forecast,” said Stephen Minton, Group Vice President, Data & Analytics, IDC.
