New Spendesk survey reveals €33.8 million (£28.6 million) in AI spending across Europe, up 96% year-on-year, as companies shift from experimentation to infrastructure
London, 19 February 2026 – AI has crossed the chasm from experimental technology to permanent business infrastructure, according to new data from Spendesk, Europe's leading AI-powered spend management platform. The company's second annual "State of AI Spend" study, surveying over 2,500 companies and €33.8 million in AI tool purchases, reveals that nearly three-quarters of companies (73%) now deploy AI in daily operations.
AI becomes embedded in European business operations
In 2025, European businesses spent €33.8 million on AI tools via Spendesk, representing a 96% increase year-on-year. Yet the study's most striking finding isn't merely that AI spending has doubled, whilst the share of companies using AI grew from 59% to 73%, showing that companies have gained trust in AI and have seen the impact it can have on productivity.
Most significantly, 70% of AI purchases are now subscriptions, as opposed to one-off spend, compared to just 43% in early 2023.
"AI has crossed a threshold. When 70% of purchases become subscriptions, companies are no longer experimenting, they are embedding AI into operational infrastructure. Finance teams now manage AI budgets like any other recurring cost: they track it, renew it, and optimise it.
What stands out is the gap: finance manages AI spend, but most have not yet adopted AI to manage spend itself. That represents the next wave of transformation. Just as Excel enabled financial planning and analysis in the 1990s, generative AI is now enabling a new category of spend intelligence ; moving companies from treating AI as a line item to using it as an intelligence layer for financial decision-making. Those who make this shift early will gain a material advantage.” says Axel Demazy, CEO of Spendesk.
UK demonstrates strong AI adoption alongside European leaders
With a 72% adoption rate, the UK ranks among Europe's AI adoption leaders, positioning just behind Germany's 81% and ahead of France's 70%. The UK recorded the fastest growth rate across major European markets, with AI spending up 151% year-on-year (from £1.45m in 2024). However, France still dominates in sheer volume with €13.2 million in AI spending (39% of European total) across over 1700 companies, reflecting its position as Europe's largest market for AI tools. Spain, at 64% adoption, confirms the progressive expansion of AI across the entire European continent.
Mid-market companies drive adoption
The study reveals that companies with 50-249 employees demonstrate the highest AI adoption rate at 77.9%, marginally ahead of large enterprises (76%) and significantly ahead of SMEs (66%). These mid-market firms appear to occupy an optimal position for AI deployment: sufficiently mature to implement at scale, yet agile enough to test and iterate rapidly.
Large enterprises, while spending more in absolute terms (€18,000 on average per organisation), show slightly lower adoption rates, likely constrained by lengthier procurement cycles and more complex compliance requirements.
OpenAI and Dust dominate UK market
Unsurprisingly, OpenAI (ChatGPT) dominates the European market with 82% of AI-using organisations. In the UK market specifically, OpenAI and Dust together account for 84% of total AI spend, with OpenAI leading (42%) and Dust close behind (42%). Anthropic emerged as a notable third player with 14% market share.
Digital-native industries lead adoption
In 2025, AI adoption was concentrated in digital-native sectors. Online Media led at 92%, followed by digital services (90%) and Software Development (89%). Traditional sectors lagged significantly, with Renewables & Environment at 59% and Financial Services at 72%.
What this means for 2026
With AI purchases now predominantly subscription-based (70% of transactions in 2025) and adoption reaching 72% among UK organisations, the competitive landscape is shifting from whether to adopt AI to which AI tools justify their recurring costs. Despite the UK's 151% year-on-year spending growth, the fastest in Europe, as finance teams face increased budget scrutiny, AI vendors will need to demonstrate sustained, measurable value to avoid joining the growing ranks of culled SaaS subscriptions.
Methodology
The second edition of Spendesk's "State of AI Spend" study analyses AI tool spending across more than 2,500 European companies that used the platform in 2025, covering the French, British, German, and Spanish markets. In the UK, almost 600 companies were surveyed, with £3.65 million in AI spend and a total of 15,961 transactions in 2025.
The full "State of AI Spend 2025" study is available for free download on this link.