A recent Gartner survey highlights major regional differences in how Chief Information Officers (CIOs) plan to engage with technology vendors and deploy artificial intelligence (AI). The findings reveal that Non-US CIOs are significantly more likely to reconfigure their vendor strategies and aggressively expand AI initiatives compared to their US counterparts.
Chris Howard, Distinguished VP Analyst and Chief of Research at Gartner, said that CIOs and technology leaders must increasingly factor in vendor geography and data sovereignty when building their global technology portfolios. He noted that, driven by geopolitical tensions and cost pressures, these considerations are becoming critical in managing vendor relationships and mitigating emerging risks in AI and technology sourcing.
According to the survey, half of Non-US CIOs (50 percent) anticipate making significant changes to their vendor engagement strategies, compared to only 31 percent of their US counterparts. In contrast, 69 percent of US CIOs expect no major changes, whereas only 50 percent of Non-US CIOs foresee such stability — a gap of 19 percentage points. The data also shows that 32 percent of Non-US CIOs plan to increase focus on engaging with vendors based within their own region, making them twice as likely as US CIOs (16 percent) to prioritize regional partnerships. Similarly, 18 percent of Non-US CIOs intend to reduce dependence on international or global technology vendors, which again is double the proportion of US CIOs (9 percent) with the same plan. Furthermore, 11 percent of Non-US CIOs aim to develop separate technology stacks and technology supply chains by region, compared to just 4 percent in the US — making Non-US CIOs nearly 2.75 times more likely to pursue this kind of regional separation.
In summary, 50 percent of Non-US CIOs expect substantial changes in vendor engagement, primarily focused on strengthening ties with regional vendors (32 percent) and reducing reliance on global players (18 percent). This suggests a growing inclination toward regional autonomy and diversification in technology sourcing, driven by geopolitical factors, supply chain disruptions, and an increasing emphasis on digital sovereignty.
The survey also highlights a global surge in AI deployment across organizations, reflecting CIOs’ commitment to embedding AI-driven capabilities in their business operations. Generative AI shows the highest level of adoption, with 58 percent of CIOs already deploying the technology and another 25 percent planning to do so within the next 12 months. This means that a combined 83 percent of CIOs will have implemented generative AI by next year. Overall AI adoption follows closely, with 52 percent of CIOs reporting current deployment and 26 percent planning rollout within the year, bringing total adoption to 78 percent. AI agents, though at a lower current adoption rate of 17 percent, are expected to see the largest growth in the near future, with 42 percent of CIOs planning to deploy them in the next 12 months — a total of 59 percent when combined with current users.
These findings demonstrate that CIOs across regions are not only rethinking how they engage with technology vendors but are also accelerating their AI strategies to drive innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness. While US CIOs show relative stability in their vendor relationships, their Non-US counterparts are moving decisively toward regional self-reliance and AI-driven transformation — signaling a new phase of strategic differentiation in global technology leadership.
Rajani Baburajan
