Colombia is embracing artificial intelligence (AI), but computer access in Colombia remains a major challenge: about 10 million households lack a personal computer, according to Intel’s Colombia leadership. The contrast highlights a growing divide between the ability to use AI tools and access to the machines that make digital work, study and business easier.
Microsoft’s latest global report found that 25.9% of Colombians ages 15 to 64 used a generative AI tool in the second quarter of 2026, placing the country second in Latin America and the Caribbean and 7.1 percentage points above the global average of 18.8%.
Yet Juliana Hurtado, who leads Intel’s operations in Colombia and its consumer business across Latin America, said that roughly 10 million Colombian households lack a personal computer. She also estimates that about 2 million consumer computers in the country are too old to run Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest operating system.
Official figures underline the gap. Colombia’s household survey found that just 37.2% of households had a computer, laptop or tablet in 2025, up from 35.7% in 2024. As interest in AI grows, rising computer prices could make it harder for many families to gain access to the technology.
A fast adopter with few computers
Colombia’s enthusiasm for new technology shows up in what people buy. Hurtado reports that one out of every four computers sold in the country now has built-in AI capabilities, compared with only one out of 10 a year ago. She notes that Colombians have long adopted new technology early and that the consumer market has held up better than other markets in the region and globally. The market continues to grow this year.
The company has invested heavily in marketing with retail partners such as Alkosto, Exito and Mercado Libre to explain what AI features do, and Hurtado expects the trend to accelerate by December. Intel’s Core 5 processor — the chip that acts as a computer’s brain — leads sales in Colombia, with demand moving fastest toward AI-ready models.
Still, this success sits alongside a deep shortage, because about half of the households without a desktop computer say the cost is too high, according to the national household survey. That finding makes the 10 million figure more than a market opportunity: it describes families who may use AI on a phone but cannot easily study, work or run a small business on a computer. The next question, then, is whether prices will make it easier or harder for those families to catch up.
Juliana Hurtado, country lead de Intel en Colombia, aseguró que cerca de 10 millones de hogares colombianos no tienen computador. Además, señaló que uno de cada cuatro computadores vendidos en el país ya cuenta con capacidades de inteligencia artificial, frente a uno de cada diez…
— Diario La República (@larepublica_co) October 13, 2026
Rising prices test the gap
Hurtado warns that 2026 has been a difficult year for the computer industry because the cost of key materials has risen, and recent reports help explain why the squeeze is reaching Colombian shoppers. AI data centers — huge buildings full of computers that run AI services — now demand enormous amounts of memory. Manufacturers are directing production toward chips for those centers, leaving fewer for ordinary laptops.
As a result, memory in some laptops costs nearly six times more than it did in July 2025, and research firm IDC expects the average price of a computer to rise 18.3% worldwide this year, with little relief before the end of 2027. This creates an irony that Colombia illustrates well: the same AI boom that makes consumers want new machines also makes those machines more expensive.
Meanwhile, Hurtado counts 30 million old machines in Latin America that are ready for replacement, and 26 million of them cannot be upgraded to Windows 11, meaning many families will have to buy new computers regardless of the price. Colombia therefore stands at a crossroads where demand for AI keeps climbing while the price of entry rises. How households, stores and manufacturers handle that tension will help determine whether Colombia turns its AI lead into lasting access.