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      Disruption isn’t slowing down — it’s accelerating

      AI, quantum, and other next generation technologies are rewriting the rules of business. Strategy and execution must keep pace with an unwavering focus on ROI.

      Are you ready to lead in the Intelligence Age?

      To excel, organizations need to balance ambition with rational thinking. To thrive amid disruption, leaders should modernize their methods of measuring tech value, adopt strategies that favor flexibility and speed, and build cultures that welcome change. Expectations are high and adoption is rapid, but scaling introduces additional complexity and returns vary widely.

      Technology leaders should also keep one eye on the horizon — anticipating the future and preparing for the magnitude of disruptions to come. KPMG’s Global tech report 2026, Leading in the Intelligence Age: Excelling today, shaping tomorrow examines how organizations are responding.

      Key findings from our research

      • Meeting the challenge of the Intelligence Age

        In an era characterized by the immense growth of tech, most organizations have bold plans to uplift maturity in 2026, fueling the shift from experimentation to scale. However, intensifying challenges of tech debt, cost pressures and talent shortages are holding many back from realizing their tech goals.

      • Building adaptive strategies amid continual disruption

        With the fast pace of innovation, tech plans are often obsolete before implementation. To thrive amid this constant change, technology leaders must coordinate investment priorities across the enterprise, build clarity around strategic decision making, create a culture that can leverage the best of tech, and ensure the foundations of data and resilience are spot on.

      Meeting the challenge of the Intelligence Age

      In an era characterized by the immense growth of tech, most organizations have bold plans to uplift maturity in 2026, fueling the shift from experimentation to scale. However, intensifying challenges of tech debt, cost pressures and talent shortages are holding many back from realizing their tech goals.

      50% of tech executives expect to reach top tech maturity by 2026

      yet only 11% are there today

      Building adaptive strategies amid continual disruption

      With the fast pace of innovation, tech plans are often obsolete before implementation. To thrive amid this constant change, technology leaders must coordinate investment priorities across the enterprise, build clarity around strategic decision making, create a culture that can leverage the best of tech, and ensure the foundations of data and resilience are spot on.

      Only 2% of high performers* report several disconnected AI projects and teams

      compared with 34% of of others

      • Realizing value from tech investment

        ROI on tech investment can vary dramatically based on factors such as readiness, diligent governance, execution discipline, and organizational agility. Investment decision making, particularly for new AI tools, has often been based on indirect and hypothetical benefits, adding to the complexity of getting it right. Tech executives need to look at the typical pattern of ROI for guidance and update their ROI KPIs to align with the kinds of business value that AI can generate.

      • The foundations for the next wave

        The rise of agentic AI is commanding the attention of tech executives, but there are even more disruptive AI tech trends on the horizon. Quantum provides immense computing power and calls for superior security, while Artificial General Intelligence and Artificial Superintelligence hold unpredictable potential. One eye must always remain fixed on what is coming next.

      74% report their AI use cases deliver business value

      92% say managing AI agents will become an important skill within 5 years

      but only 24% achieve ROI across multiple use cases

      87% of high performers agree they must take more risks on emerging technologies to stay relevant

      * High performers are organizations distinguished by advanced tech maturity, process maturity, and the ability to consistently deliver significant value from their digital investments.

      Organizations across Luxembourg are gradually moving from experimentation toward tangible value creation with AI. While pilots remain an important step, many are now embedding AI-enabled solutions into specific workflows, services, and operational processes. Looking ahead, leading organizations anticipate more compact core teams, supported by automation and AI, allowing human expertise to focus on governance, oversight, and high-value decision-making

      Charlotte Hittelet

      Partner, Advisory

      KPMG in Luxembourg

      Your 2026 agenda

      Accelerating learning, building a future-ready and agent-empowered workforce, and having one eye on emerging technology trends are just some of the essentials that should be on your 2026 agenda. Discover even more future-forward technology transformation tips in our report.

      Download

      KPMG Global tech report 2026

      Leading in the Intelligence Age: Excelling today, shaping tomorrow
      Download the report
      While adoption is accelerating across sectors, value realization remains uneven. The true differentiators are no longer access to technology or data, but the ability to govern AI at scale, embed it into core processes, and execute with discipline across the company. Organizations that outperform are those able to adapt continuously, make decisions faster, and translate strategy into execution with speed, control and trust.”

      Gianni Segoloni

      Consulting Director & Microsoft Leader

      KPMG in Luxembourg

      About the research

      The KPMG Global tech report 2026 is based on a survey of 2,500 tech executives from 27 countries, including 43 percent from Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); 29 percent from Asia-Pacific (ASPAC); and 28 percent from the Americas.

      The tech executives are representatives from eight industries: automotive, consumer and retail, energy, financial services, government, healthcare and life sciences, industrial manufacturing, and tech and telecom. A significant proportion of the tech executives surveyed are senior leaders, and annual revenues for all organizations in our survey are above US$100 million.

      This report features valuable insights on emerging technology trends from interviews with eight global technology leaders including Dean Bortz, Director, AI Go-to-Market, Google; Zack Kass, Global AI advisor, thought leader, and former Head of Go-to-Market, OpenAI; Noelle Russell, AI Solutions Architect and Strategic Advisor, CEO, AI Leadership Institute; and Seth Patton, General Manager, Product Marketing, Microsoft 365 Copilot.

      This article was originally published by KPMG International.

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      Connect with us

      Portrait of Charlotte Hittelet
      Charlotte Hittelet

      Partner, Advisory

      KPMG in Luxembourg

      Portrait of Gianni Segoloni
      Gianni Segoloni

      Director, Digital Services & Technology, Microsoft Alliance Lead

      KPMG in Luxembourg

      Xavier Roch L'hotellier
      Xavier Roch Lhotellier

      Partner, Advisory - IT Consulting and EU Institutions Market Leader

      KPMG in Luxembourg