IDC: AI Infrastructure Shortages Will Persist Through 2027 as Demand Surges
Techstrong.ai, Tuesday, October 27th, 2026
IDC expects shortages of power, memory and chip packaging to constrain AI infrastructure through 2027 as agent use soars.
IDC expects shortages of power, memory and advanced chip packaging to constrain AI growth through 2027, with memory shortages lasting into 2028.
It forecasts 2.5 billion AI agents deployed by 2030, reports that 95.3% of enterprises already run at least one agent workflow in production, and says that while cost per agent action may fall about 95% from 2025 to 2030, total token spending is forecast to grow 487-fold.
IDC projects a 45-gigawatt U.S. power shortfall by 2028 and says nearly 7 gigawatts of planned 2026 U.S. data center capacity has been delayed or canceled.
Service provider AI infrastructure buildout is forecast to rise from $401 billion in 2025 to $1.45 trillion in 2030.