By Ana Milena Varón
Los Angeles, Jan 6 (EFE).- Artificial intelligence is on track to reach more than five billion users worldwide by the end of the decade, technology leaders predicted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026.
The biggest tech event opened in Las Vegas on Monday night with tech leaders reinforcing AI’s role as the defining force reshaping global industry, infrastructure, and daily life.
“The impact of AI is real across multiple sectors, and it is accelerating,” said Lisa Su, president and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), who warned that surging adoption would place unprecedented pressure on global computing capacity.
According to AMD’s estimates, AI usage could expand to nearly two-thirds of the world’s population by 2030.
The rapid growth, Su said, is already driving a “huge increase” in demand for data centers, chips, and large-scale computing systems, forcing companies and governments to rethink digital infrastructure.
Chips, platforms and scale
To support this expansion, AMD unveiled several new technologies, including its ‘Helios’ rack-scale platform and the full portfolio of Instinct MI400 Series accelerators, alongside a preview of its next-generation MI500 GPUs.
The products are designed to handle increasingly complex AI models at scale.
Su appeared alongside executives and researchers from companies and institutions working with AMD, including OpenAI, Luma AI, Liquid AI, World Labs, Blue Origin, AstraZeneca, Illumina, and representatives of the US government, underscoring the strategic role semiconductors now play in AI development.
Earlier, Nvidia also raised expectations by presenting its new accelerated computing platform, Vera Rubin, which combines the Rubin GPU with the Vera CPU into a specialized AI supercomputer already entering production.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the system is designed to run advanced AI models with greater speed and efficiency.
CES opens amid AI surge
The forecasts set the tone for CES 2026, the world’s largest technology fair, which officially opened Monday night and runs through Friday across seven major venues in Las Vegas.
“This year, AI will accelerate change in every sector,” said Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES. Around 4,500 exhibitors are taking part in the event.
An estimated 150,000 attendees are expected to explore AI-powered products ranging from humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles to ultra-fast electric motorcycles, next-generation televisions, advanced computers and phones, and new health and beauty technologies, including smart glasses for the visually impaired and home hormone-monitoring devices.
The CTA expects CES 2026 to surpass last year’s attendance of 142,465 visitors, reflecting the growing global interest in technologies driven by artificial intelligence. EFE
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