Gartner identifies the top strategic technology trends for 2026

Gartner

Tuesday, 21 October, 2025


Gartner identifies the top strategic technology trends for 2026

Gartner has announced its list of top strategic technology trends that organisations need to explore in 2026.

“Technology leaders face a pivotal year in 2026, where disruption, innovation and risk are expanding at unprecedented speed,” said Gene Alvarez, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “The top strategic technology trends identified for 2026 are tightly interwoven and reflect the realities of an AI-powered, hyperconnected world where organisations must drive responsible innovation, operational excellence and digital trust.”

“These trends represent more than technology shifts; they’re catalysts for business transformation,” said Tori Paulman, VP Analyst at Gartner. “What feels different this year is the pace. We’ve seen more innovations emerge in a single year than ever before. Because the next wave of innovation isn’t years away, organisations that act now will not only weather volatility but shape their industries for decades to come.”

Gartner has identified 10 top strategic technology trends for 2026.

1. AI supercomputing platforms

AI supercomputing platforms integrate CPUs, GPUs, AI ASICs, neuromorphic and alternative computing paradigms, enabling organisations to orchestrate complex workloads while unlocking new levels of performance, efficiency and innovation. These systems combine powerful processors, massive memory, specialised hardware and orchestration software to tackle data-intensive workloads in areas like machine learning, simulation and analytics.

Gartner predicts that by 2028 over 40% of leading enterprises will have adopted hybrid computing paradigm architectures into critical business workflows, up from the current 8%.

“This capability is already driving innovation across a diverse range of industries,” said Paulman. “For example, companies in healthcare and biotech are modelling new drugs in weeks instead of years. In financial services, organisations are simulating global markets to reduce portfolio risk, while utility providers are modelling extreme weather to optimise grid performance.”

2. Multiagent systems

Multiagent systems (MAS) are collections of AI agents that interact to achieve individual or shared complex goals. Agents may be delivered in a single environment or developed and deployed independently across distributed environments.

“Adopting multiagent systems gives organisations a practical way to automate complex business processes, upskill teams and create new ways for people and AI agents to work together,” said Alvarez. “Modular, specialised agents can boost efficiency, speed up delivery and reduce risk by reusing proven solutions across workflows. This approach also makes it easier to scale operations and adapt quickly to changing needs.”

3. Domain-specific language models (DSLMs)

CIOs and CEOs are demanding more business value from AI, but generic large language models (LLMs) often fall short for specialised tasks. Domain-specific language models (DSLMs) fill this gap with higher accuracy, lower costs and better compliance. DSLMs are language models trained or fine-tuned on specialised data for a particular industry, function or process. Unlike general-purpose models, DSLMs deliver higher accuracy, reliability and compliance for targeted business needs.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, over half of the GenAI models used by enterprises will be domain-specific.

“Context is emerging as one of the most critical differentiators for successful agent deployments,” said Paulman. “AI agents unpinned by DSLMs can interpret industry-specific context to make sound decisions even in unfamiliar scenarios, excelling in accuracy, explainability and sound decision-making.”

4. AI security platforms

AI security platforms provide a unified way to secure third-party and custom-built AI applications. They centralise visibility, enforce usage policies and protect against AI-specific risks, such as prompt injection, data leakage and rogue agent actions. These platforms help CIOs enforce use policies, monitor AI activity and apply consistent guardrails across AI.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, over 50% of enterprises will use AI security platforms to protect their AI investments.

5. AI-native development platforms

AI-native development platforms use GenAI to create software faster and easier than was previously possible. Software engineers embedded in the business, acting as ‘forward-deployed engineers’, can use these platforms to work together with domain experts to develop applications.

Organisations can have tiny teams of people paired with AI to create more applications with the same level of developers they have today. Leading organisations are creating tiny platform teams to allow non-technical domain experts to produce software themselves, with security and governance guardrails in place.

Gartner predicts that by 2030, AI-native development platforms will result in 80% of organisations evolving large software engineering teams into smaller, more nimble teams augmented by AI.

6. Confidential computing

Confidential computing changes how organisations handle sensitive data. By isolating workloads inside hardware-based trusted execution environments (TEEs), it keeps content and workloads private even from infrastructure owners, cloud providers or anyone with physical access to the hardware. This is especially valuable for regulated industries and global operations facing geopolitical and compliance risks and for cross-competitor collaboration.

Gartner predicts that by 2029, more than 75% of operations processed in untrusted infrastructure will be secured in-use by confidential computing.

7. Physical AI

Physical AI brings intelligence into the real world by powering machines and devices that sense, decide and act, such as robots, drones and smart equipment. It brings measurable gains in industries where automation, adaptability and safety are priorities.

As adoption grows, organisations need new skills that bridge IT, operation and engineering. This shift creates opportunities for upskilling and collaboration but may also raise job concerns and require careful change management.

8. Preemptive cybersecurity

Preemptive cybersecurity is trending as organisations face an exponential rise in threats targeting networks, data, and connected systems. Gartner forecasts that by 2030, preemptive solutions will account for half of all security spending, as CIOs shift from reactive defence to proactive protection.

“Preemptive cybersecurity is about acting before attackers strike using AI-powered SecOps, programmatic denial and deception,” said Paulman. “This is a world where prediction is protection.”

9. Digital provenance

As organisations rely more on third-party software, open-source code and AI-generated content, verifying digital provenance has become essential. It refers to the ability to verify the origin, ownership and integrity of software, data, media and processes. New tools such as software bills of materials (SBoM), attestation databases and digital watermarking offer organisations the means to validate and track digital assets across the supply chain.

Gartner predicts that by 2029, those who failed to adequately invest in digital provenance capabilities will be open to sanction risks potentially running into the billions of dollars.

10. Geopatriation

Geopatriation means moving company data and applications out of global public clouds and into local options, such as sovereign clouds, regional cloud providers, or an organisation’s own data centres due to perceived geopolitical risk. Once limited to banks and governments, cloud sovereignty now affects a wide range of organisations as global instability increases.

“Shifting workloads to providers with an increased sovereignty posture can help CIOs gain more control over data residency, compliance and governance,” said Alvarez. “This greater control may improve alignment with local regulations and build trust with customers who are concerned about data privacy or national interests.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Anton Vierietin

Related Articles

Maximising business value through sustainable IT infrastructure

To fully unlock the value of sustainable IT, a mindset shift is needed.

Beyond tech sprawl: the four shifts defining the next‍-‍generation tech stack

A modern tech stack will be a flexible, fully integrated ecosystem composed of...

The ongoing evolution of effective AI prompt engineering

By understanding the six key components of a strong prompt, users can significantly improve the...


  • All content Copyright © 2025 Westwick-Farrow Pty Ltd