S&P Global Report Charts Enterprise Race to Build AI Agent-Ready Infrastructure

Rhea-AI Summary

S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) released the report Big Picture 2026 AI Outlook: Unleashing Agentic Potential on Nov 5, 2025, finding 58% of organizations are actively pursuing agent capabilities.

Key takeaways: agentic AI shifts systems from chat to autonomous workflows, driving a critical infrastructure overhaul, security rethinking, broader data-provenance needs, and higher sustainability pressures. The report cites GPU shipment projections up >500% versus original 2023 estimates for the 2025–2026 timeframe as a primary indicator of investment demand.

Positive

• 58% of enterprises actively pursuing agent capabilities
• GPU shipment projections up more than 500% for 2025–2026
• Agentic AI promises significant operational improvements and competitive advantage

Negative

• Agentic systems consume significantly more IT capacity than chat systems
• Increased data-provenance and context-engineering requirements
• New security needs: non-human identity frameworks
• Greater data center demand and sustainability challenges from intensive operations

Insights

AI infrastructure strategist

S&P Global's report signals large enterprise demand for agentic AI, stressing infrastructure, security, and data-management needs.

The research describes a shift from chat-centric models to autonomous, agentic systems that initiate actions and run concurrent workflows; this raises compute, data access, and identity demands and helps explain the cited GPU shipment projection growth of 500% for the 2025-2026 timeframe. The business mechanism is straightforward: agents drive continuous, parallel workloads so organizations must scale GPUs, storage, networking, and metadata systems to maintain performance.

Key dependencies and risks center on data readiness, staff skills, and security frameworks. Effective rollout requires a robust data provenance layer, context engineering, and non-human identity models; failure on these fronts increases operational risk and attack surface. The report also flags sustainability pressures from higher data center consumption.

Watch for concrete adoption signals and timing: uptake rate metrics such as the reported 58% of organizations pursuing agent capabilities, published vendor GPU shipment updates, and any customer case studies or pilot outcomes over the next 6–18 months. Those items will convert thematic demand into measurable commercial impact.

New research reveals 58% of enterprises are actively pursuing agent capabilities

NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) has released a new report titled Big Picture 2026 AI Outlook: Unleashing Agentic Potential, which examines how agentic artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping enterprise technology strategies and infrastructure demands. The research reveals that while agentic AI promises significant operational improvements, organizations face a critical infrastructure overhaul to support autonomous systems that can initiate actions independently without human prompting.

The research shows that agentic AI represents a fundamental shift from chat-based interactions to autonomous systems capable of taking independent action. Unlike traditional AI that requires human prompting, agents can initiate multiple workflows simultaneously, dramatically increasing infrastructure demands and introducing new security considerations.

"Companies that can harness agentic AI's power early can have a significant competitive advantage," said Eric Hanselman, Chief Analyst, 451 Research at S&P Global. "Agentic approaches can solve much more complex problems, but success depends on having the right data foundation and skilled teams in place."

According to the 451 Research Voice of the Enterprise AI & Machine Learning study, 58% of organizations are actively seeking opportunities to implement agent capabilities. This demand is driving unprecedented infrastructure investment, with Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) shipment projections from leading suppliers increasing more than 500% from original 2023 estimates for the 2025-2026 timeframe.

Key findings include:

• Infrastructure Strain: Agentic systems consume significantly more IT capacity than chat-based systems as they break free of human pacing and launch multiple prompts and cascade into other agents
• Data Management Evolution: Agents increase the scale and breadth of data access, requiring more sophisticated data provenance, quality assessment and context engineering
• Security Complexities: Agents require new non-human identity frameworks beyond traditional user authorization policies
• Sustainability Concerns: The intensive resource consumption of agentic operations will further drive AI-related data center demand and sustainability challenges

The report also emphasizes that successful agentic implementation requires expanded thinking around AI implications, moving beyond simple automation to comprehensive resource management and security frameworks.

To request a copy of Big Picture 2026 AI Outlook: Unleashing Agentic Potential or to access the full suite of 2026 Big Picture reports, please contact press.mi@spglobal.com or visit here.

To learn more about Artificial Intelligence at S&P Global, please visit here.

Media Contacts:

Orla O'Brien
S&P Global
+1 857 407 8559
orla.obrien@spglobal.com 

Florence Bogitsh
S&P Global Market Intelligence
+1 646 460 7204
Florence.bogitsh@spglobal.com
press.mi@spglobal.com

About S&P Global:

S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides Essential Intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through sustainability and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and Accelerate Progress for the world.

We are widely sought after by many of the world's leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world's leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com

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SOURCE S&P Global

FAQ

What did S&P Global report on agentic AI adoption in Nov 2025 for SPGI?

The report found 58% of organizations are actively pursuing agent capabilities as of Nov 5, 2025.

How much did the report project GPU shipments to rise for 2025–2026 for SPGI readers?

The report cites GPU shipment projections increasing by more than 500% versus original 2023 estimates for the 2025–2026 timeframe.

What infrastructure impact did S&P Global highlight for companies adopting agentic AI (SPGI)?

Agentic AI will require a critical infrastructure overhaul because agents launch multiple workflows and consume substantially more IT capacity than chat models.

What security changes does the Nov 5, 2025 SPGI report recommend for agentic AI?

The report recommends new non-human identity frameworks beyond traditional user authorization to secure autonomous agents.

What data challenges did the S&P Global Big Picture 2026 report identify for SPGI investors?

Agents expand data scale and breadth, creating needs for stronger data provenance, quality assessment, and context engineering.