Technology distributors in the United States and Canada generated a record $28,9-illion in revenue in the third quarter of 2026 (3Q26), up 29,2% from $22,3-billion a year earlier, according to the IDC North America Monthly Distribution Tracker, powered by the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC).
The three product groups most closely tied to AI buildouts – Enterprise Infrastructure, Network Infrastructure, and Components & Semiconductors – added $4,3-billion, or 66% of the $6,5-billion increase.
“AI infrastructure is no longer just a hyperscaler story. Distributors are moving servers, storage and high-speed networking to ecosystem partners building AI capacity, and their ability to secure allocation and keep deals moving helped the channel set a new high,” sasys Brendan Rouse, research analyst: Partnering Ecosystems, Channels and Alliances, at IDC.
Distributor revenue grew 29.2% year over year to a record $28,9-billion. AI infrastructure was the primary driver, with Enterprise Infrastructure up 140,1%, Components & Semiconductors up 79,4%,
and Network Infrastructure up 63.7%. Software (+12.5%) and Services (+19.6%) also set records. Rising memory and storage prices added to hardware revenue but remain a supply constraint.
North America IT distribution at a glance: 3Q26, year over year growth
- Total distributor revenue: $28,9-billion (+29,2% YoY); year-to-date $79,4-billion (+20%)
- Fastest-growing product groups: Enterprise Infrastructure, $3-billion (+140,1%); Components & Semiconductors, $2,4-billion (+79,4%); Network Infrastructure, $3,9-billion (+63,7%)
- Largest product groups: Software, $5,5-billion (+12,5%); Personal Computing, $5,1-billion (+17,8%); Services, $3,9-billion (+19,6%)
- Primary growth drivers: Server (+154,7%), Storage Drives (+153%), Semiconductors (+99%), Ethernet Switch (+73,7%), IaaS (+48,4%)
- Key constraints: tight memory and storage supply; price volatility; declines in Consumer Electronics (−5%), Imaging (−3,2%) and Peripherals & Accessories (−2,3%)
Why did the market change?
AI demand is broadening beyond the hyperscalers, and distribution is how much of that capacity reaches enterprises and specialized cloud providers. IDC’s server research points to expanding enterprise AI adoption and to pull-forward buying ahead of further component inflation.
IDC’s memory and storage analysts expect DRAM and NAND supply to stay tight, raising system prices and lifting Server, Storage Drives and Semiconductors revenue. In networking, AI fabrics increasingly run on Ethernet.
IDC’s outlook
IDC expects AI infrastructure to remain the ecosystem’s main growth engine, both in terms of the technology resale opportunity and the IT services opportunity.
Memory supply should stay tight into 2027, keeping prices elevated. IDC’s PC analysts expect pulled-forward device demand to fade into year-end. Recurring software, cloud and services revenue gives distributors a steadier base as hardware cycles normalise.