In a recent survey conducted by Bernstein among 105 U.S. and European chief information officers, Microsoft and OpenAI emerged as leadership frontrunners in artificial intelligence, with Apple also earning a place in the top 10. The December 2025 results reveal cautious optimism in IT budgets for 2026, influenced by stronger corporate earnings forecasts and shifting investment priorities towards software, AI, and cloud technologies.

Bernstein CIO Survey Highlights Leadership in AI and IT Spending

The latest Bernstein CIO survey clearly positions Microsoft and OpenAI as the leading players in the artificial intelligence sector, reflecting their growing dominance in enterprise innovation. Analyst Mark Newman emphasized that CIO respondents “perceived [Microsoft and OpenAI] to be the strongest AI players,” with Apple making the top 10, signaling its increasing traction in AI development. Despite enthusiasm around generative AI, 72% of CIOs noted AI and large language models remain a minor part of current IT budgets, though 10% acknowledged AI has already altered workforce dynamics.

Technology budgets in 2026 are projected to increase modestly, with CIOs expressing a more constructive stance than mid-2025. This outlook is supported by improved corporate earnings forecasts, possibly enabling IT spending growth to meet or surpass Gartner’s 9% expansion forecast for 2025. CIOs plan to focus spending heavily on software, networking, and storage, while reducing expenditure on legacy x86 servers, mainframes, and printers.

Cloud Dominance and Vendor Spending Preferences

Cloud adoption remains an area of clear leadership for Microsoft, Amazon, and ServiceNow. Microsoft’s Azure platform leads the market decisively, with 88% of surveyed CIOs leveraging it for cloud services, outpacing Amazon Web Services at 71%, and Google Cloud Platform at 39%. This strong Azure adoption underlines Microsoft’s strategic leadership in cloud infrastructure. Additionally, CIOs indicated rising interest in AI consulting but remain cautious about GPU server investments, citing concerns on hardware efficiency within AI workloads.

Spending on personal computers is expected to decline throughout 2026, with only 14% of CIOs anticipating accelerated hardware replacement cycles. Nevertheless, 40% plan to upgrade to Windows 11. These upgrades feature AI-optimized configurations, likely increasing average selling prices and driving the next wave of PC investment despite overall budget constraints.

Leadership: Market Outlook into 2026

Bernstein’s survey elucidates a leadership landscape solidly anchored by Microsoft and OpenAI at the forefront of AI innovation, with Apple rising in influence. The cautiously optimistic IT budget outlook, underpinned by stronger corporate earnings projections, supports steady growth across software, networking, and cloud services. Investors and market watchers should maintain focus on these AI and cloud leaders, given their robust CIO endorsement and enterprise adoption trajectories heading into 2026.