Gartner has outlined six emerging trends that will significantly influence cloud adoption over the next four years.

These include cloud dissatisfaction, AI and machine learning (AI/ML), multicloud strategies, sustainability, digital sovereignty, and industry-specific solutions.

“These trends are accelerating the shift in how cloud is transforming from a technology enabler to a business disruptor and necessity for most organisations,”

said Joe Rogus, Director, Advisory at Gartner.

“Over the next few years, cloud will continue to unlock new business models, competitive advantages and ways of achieving business missions.”

According to Gartner, these developments will fundamentally change how organisations work—enabling more digitally driven and transformative approaches.

The six trends are:

1. Cloud Dissatisfaction

While cloud adoption continues to expand, not all implementations meet expectations.

Gartner forecasts that by 2028, 25% of organisations will report significant dissatisfaction with their cloud initiatives, largely due to unrealistic expectations, poor execution, and uncontrolled costs.

To remain competitive, businesses must adopt a clear, strategic approach to cloud deployment.

Gartner’s findings suggest that by 2029, organisations that have addressed these strategic challenges will experience reduced levels of dissatisfaction.

2. Rising Demand for AI and Machine Learning

AI and ML are expected to become central to cloud usage, with hyperscalers playing a pivotal role in this evolution.

These providers are embedding foundational AI capabilities into their infrastructures, partnering with vendors and clients, and leveraging both real and synthetic data to train AI models.

Gartner anticipates that by 2029, 50% of cloud compute resources will be dedicated to AI workloads, up from less than 10% today.

3. Multicloud and Cross-Cloud Challenges

Although multicloud strategies are becoming more common, interoperability remains a key challenge.

According to Gartner, more than half of organisations will not achieve the desired outcomes from their multicloud deployments by 2029.

To overcome this, Gartner advises organisations to identify specific use cases and plan for distributed applications and data.

A cross-cloud deployment model, enabling workloads to function collaboratively across various platforms, including on-premises and colocation facilities, can help optimise performance.

4. Industry Cloud Platforms

Industry-specific cloud solutions are gaining traction, as vendors develop offerings that address the unique needs of vertical markets and support scaling of digital initiatives.

Gartner projects that over 50% of organisations will use industry cloud platforms to advance their business initiatives by 2029.

Rather than a complete IT overhaul, Gartner suggests that organisations treat these platforms as a strategic enhancement to their existing technology stack.

This approach can help avoid technical debt and create space for innovation and added business value.

5. Digital Sovereignty

With growing adoption of AI, stricter data privacy regulations, and increasing geopolitical tensions, demand for sovereign cloud services is rising.

These services aim to shield data, infrastructure, and critical workloads from foreign jurisdictional control.

Gartner predicts that more than 50% of multinational organisations will implement digital sovereignty strategies by 2029, up from fewer than 10% today.

6. Sustainability in the Cloud

Environmental concerns are increasingly influencing both cloud providers and users, who are now sharing responsibility for sustainable IT infrastructure.

This shift is being driven by regulation, investor scrutiny, and public demand for greener technologies.

As AI workloads grow and consume more energy, organisations face pressure to measure and manage their environmental impact more closely.

Gartner expects that by 2029, over 50% of global organisations will prioritise sustainability in their procurement processes.

To derive greater value from cloud investments, Gartner advises businesses to go beyond just environmental impact and align sustainability strategies with broader business objectives.

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