Author: Alexandra Laraba
Global technology spending is set to grow a record 7.8% in 2026, to $5.6 trillion [1]. With investment flowing at that pace, one question defines the years ahead: how fast can organisations turn it into results? Valtus Alliance experts on five continents see this shift unfolding in their own markets.
A Record Investment Cycle Built on Infrastructure
Infrastructure absorbs the largest share of the increase. Data centre systems spending is projected to grow 55.8% in 2026, past $788 billion, well ahead of software (+15.1%) [2]. Hyperscalers are expected to capture almost half of AI infrastructure capex through 2028 [1], while Stanford’s AI Index puts corporate AI investment at $252.3 billion in 2024 [3]. By 2030, AI-impacted hardware should exceed 80% of computer equipment spend, up from 43% in 2024 [1].
Chips and compute anchor this cycle, and specialised hubs carry outsized weight. Ramesh Ramchand, Managing Director at Radialis in Singapore, highlights the city-state’s position: about 10% of the world’s chips and 20% of semiconductor equipment, backed by S$37 billion of research funding through RIE2030, with further strengths in applied AI, biomedical sciences, quantum computing and aerospace MRO. His reading of the model: “Stable policies, skilled talent, robust IP protection, and geopolitical neutrality attract global firms seeking a reliable base for R&D, manufacturing, and regional expansion. Singapore’s leading edge lies in high-value, specialised technology niches rather than sheer scale, making it an indispensable node in global tech supply chains and innovation networks.”
“Stable policies, skilled talent, robust IP protection, and geopolitical neutrality attract global firms seeking a reliable base for R&D, manufacturing, and regional expansion. Singapore’s leading edge lies in high-value, specialised technology niches rather than sheer scale, making it an indispensable node in global tech supply chains and innovation networks.”
Ramesh Ramchand, Managing Director, Radialis, Singapore
Canada builds on a different base. Benoît Créneau, Founder & CEO at xNorth in Canada, cites one of the OECD’s most highly educated populations, tech talent costs around 30% lower than in major US hubs, and government support through research funding and investment incentives. In his words: “I see the biggest opportunity in turning our AI research strength into products that businesses will pay for and use at scale, while developing secure Canadian data infrastructure. Beyond AI, quantum technologies and clean tech offer great opportunities as more innovations reach commercial use. Growing investment in cybersecurity and defence technology could also help Canadian firms win larger contracts and expand internationally.”
“I see the biggest opportunity in turning our AI research strength into products that businesses will pay for and use at scale, while developing secure Canadian data infrastructure. Beyond AI, quantum technologies and clean tech offer great opportunities as more innovations reach commercial use. Growing investment in cybersecurity and defence technology could also help Canadian firms win larger contracts and expand internationally.”
Benoît Créneau, Founder & CEO, xNorth, Canada
AI: “from rewarding adoption to rewarding delivery”
Adoption is moving to its next stage: 88% of tech executives are already investing in agentic AI [4]. Value arrives more slowly: KPMG finds that 24% of organisations achieve ROI across multiple AI use cases [4], and names technical debt, silos and talent shortages as persistent barriers.
In Sweden, Henrik Höjsgaard, Managing Partner at Nordic Interim Sweden & Denmark, sees the shift under way: “Swedish businesses are moving from experimenting with AI to asking how it can create measurable value across the organisation. We are seeing AI move beyond individual use cases and into core areas such as product development, customer experience, software, industrial processes and decision-making.” Stockholm concentrates tech companies and scale-ups, and the challenge ahead is turning that ambition into execution.
Swedish businesses are moving from experimenting with AI to asking how it can create measurable value across the organisation. We are seeing AI move beyond individual use cases and into core areas such as product development, customer experience, software, industrial processes and decision-making.”
Henrik Höjsgaard, Managing Partner, Nordic Interim Sweden & Denmark
Joe Poling, CRO at Think Consulting in the USA, points to the same gap: “The biggest opportunity is not creating more technology. It is closing the gap between technology investment and business outcomes. Companies have spent heavily on cloud, data, automation, and now AI, yet most capture only a fraction of the value those investments should create.” Strategy gets set and tools get bought, then work fragments across systems and teams. The next wave embeds AI and operational intelligence in how companies run, with the greatest effect in the mid-market and in complex or regulated industries.
“The biggest opportunity is not creating more technology. It is closing the gap between technology investment and business outcomes. Companies have spent heavily on cloud, data, automation, and now AI, yet most capture only a fraction of the value those investments should create.”
Joe Poling, CRO, Think Consulting, the USA
In France, Jérôme Vercaemer, Senior Partner at Valtus, adds the cost dimension: “AI must create tangible value at company scale, which calls for a deep transformation of IT departments and for FinOps-style control able to model and contain AI costs, token consumption included.” A reinforced data steward role will keep business-built AI from recreating data silos: reference data must be inventoried and made available to business teams and to the AIs they use. He also sees AI as a chance to reduce tech debt.
“AI must create tangible value at company scale, which calls for a deep transformation of IT departments and for FinOps-style control able to model and contain AI costs, token consumption included.”
Jérôme Vercaemer, Senior Partner, Valtus, France
Sovereignty and Resilience enter the Boardroom
For Vercaemer, the opportunity starts with sovereignty, at a minimum French and European: the choice of suppliers, data usage and hosting, AI and connectivity. Resilience follows, with IT systems able to withstand hybrid attacks and data protected against quantum algorithms.
KPMG’s research points the same way: quantum computing could speed up AI model training, also threatening current encryption [4]. As the volume of AI-related regulations increases, governments have been investing at scale, with France at €109 billion, Canada at $2.4 billion and China’s semiconductor fund at $47.5 billion [3].
New Centres of Gravity
East Asia and the Pacific account for 82.4% of granted AI patents [3], and US institutions produced 40 notable AI models in 2024, against China’s 15 and Europe’s three [3]. Around these poles, markets with a clear specialisation take on a growing role.
Dorel Iosif, CEO at Cognisium in Australia, points to a tech sector built on practical solutions for demanding environments: mining automation, remote operations, energy, financial services and cybersecurity. Strong universities, a growing start-up scene and a position in Asia-Pacific provide the base to reach fast-growing markets. “Australia is a relatively small market, but we often punch above our weight when it comes to applying technology to difficult real-world problems. Australia’s real strength is often not just inventing technology but figuring out how to make it work in complex environments and at scale.”
“Australia is a relatively small market, but we often punch above our weight when it comes to applying technology to difficult real-world problems. Australia’s real strength is often not just inventing technology but figuring out how to make it work in complex environments and at scale.”
Dorel Iosif, CEO, Cognisium, Australia
Kenya’s tech sector follows the same logic on another continent. Sue Withers, Managing Director at Summit Recruitment & Search Africa in Kenya, notes: “Amazon Web Services, IBM and Google have all seen fit to place their regional offices in Kenya, so of course this sets the stage for other smaller players to come into the market. Kenya is the gateway for East African and Central African markets.” English as the business language, a young, educated population, steady investment and legislative changes make the country attractive to tech organisations. Named the “Silicon Savannah” in the press and supported by Vision 2030, the tech sector growth runs at around 10% a year.
“Amazon Web Services, IBM and Google have all seen fit to place their regional offices in Kenya, so of course this sets the stage for other smaller players to come into the market. Kenya is the gateway for East African and Central African markets.”
Sue Withers, Managing Director, Summit Recruitment & Search Africa.
Leading Through AI-Driven Change
The same leadership profile is emerging across markets: technologically fluent, commercially minded, comfortable with uncertainty and focused on execution. Iosif describes leaders who can bridge technology, strategy, operations and people, identifying where technology creates tangible value. Sweden’s perspective echoes this view: the next challenge is less about adopting AI than about building the leadership, skills and organisational capacity to transform with it. Poling expects experienced leaders to become even more valuable as AI takes on routine work. While AI can flag a risk, leaders must decide how to respond and align people around the right course of action. Vercaemer highlights the need for speed, with leadership teams required to test AI innovations and establish clear criteria for adoption. Skills requirements are evolving just as quickly: 92% of tech executives expect managing AI agents to become an important skill within five years [4].
Talent competition adds another layer of pressure. Créneau notes that Canadian tech companies compete with US employers for the same talent, making meaningful work, career development and competitive pay essential to attracting and retaining people. As AI reshapes how teams operate, companies must also develop new skills while bringing in experienced leaders who can grow sales, manage cash flow and expand into new markets without losing sight of employee engagement. Interim and fractional executives can provide this expertise at critical moments while helping develop leadership capabilities within the business.
The Next Chapter
Quantum computing, artificial general intelligence and artificial superintelligence are shaping the next frontier. Leaders must prepare for these developments while continuing to deliver on today’s priorities [4].
Three priorities stand out: treat AI as a strategic investment, with clear adoption criteria, measurable ROI and a realistic understanding of costs; embed data sovereignty, sound data governance and resilience into the operating model; and build the capacity to turn ambition into results, combining permanent teams with executive interim expertise.
Sources
[1] Forrester, “Global Technology Spending Will Grow A Record 7.8% In 2026 To Reach $5.6 trillion”, 2 Feb 2026
[2] Gartner, “Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 13.5% in 2026, Totaling $6.31 Trillion”, Business Wire, 22 April 2026.
[3] Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025
[4] KPMG, Global tech report 2026: Leading in the Intelligence Age
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