# Why businesses are keeping old tech alive

> A new survey reveals companies are upgrading legacy systems instead of replacing them, even as they invest heavily in AI.
- Title: Why businesses are keeping old tech alive · TechRadar
- Summary: A new survey reveals companies are upgrading legacy systems instead of replacing them, even as they invest heavily in AI. Budget constraints are forcing IT…
- Keywords: legacy technology, it modernization, budget constraints, ai investment, uk businesses, us businesses, ensono, infrastructure upgrades, mainframe systems, it spending, technology, businesses
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/the-end-of-rip-and-replace-new-survey-finds-businesses-are-sticking-it-out-with-legacy-tech
- Published: 2026-09-17T06:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: legacy technology, it modernization, budget constraints, ai investment, uk businesses, us businesses, ensono, infrastructure upgrades, mainframe systems, it spending, technology
## 57% of UK firms skip the replacement
A new Ensono survey finds that 57% of UK organizations are extending legacy systems rather than replacing them entirely, even as nearly half scale up AI use.
## Budget pressures force the upgrade path
Rather than buying new equipment, businesses are adding faster storage and more RAM to existing PCs, laptops, and servers to support modern applications.
## Modernization projects are stalling out
Across the US and UK, 61% of businesses have paused, delayed, or abandoned IT modernization in the past two years, with 71% of projects exceeding their budgets.
## AI spending is eating the budget
Decision makers increasingly see AI as accelerating modernization, jumping from 39% last year to 54%, leaving less money for replacing aging infrastructure.
## Legacy systems are getting a second life
Mainframes and other older systems are being augmented with AI capabilities rather than retired, because they contain decades of critical business data and logic.

> AI is expanding the possibilities for modernization, enterprises are discovering that legacy systems, like the mainframe, are intensely powerful, reliable and efficient sources of computing that can now be augmented and made more agile thanks to AI.
## The real challenge: knowing what to keep
IT leaders must now decide which systems to replace and which to upgrade with AI, a choice that wasn't possible just 18 months ago.

> The advantage will go to organizations that understand their environments well enough to distinguish what should be replaced vs. what should be augmented.
## Key takeaway

Budget constraints are forcing IT leaders to extend the life of older systems through upgrades rather than complete replacements, while simultaneously scaling AI investments.