Raspberry Pi
A British computing brand best known for compact, affordable single-board computers, microcontrollers, and related hardware for education, development, embedded systems, and hobbyist projects.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
2requests
1companies- Anthropic2
- Profile
- 2
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
Raspberry Pi is a British computing brand centered on small, inexpensive computers and microcontroller boards. It originated from an educational concern: academics associated with the University of Cambridge observed that fewer prospective computer-science students were arriving with the practical programming experience once associated with earlier generations of home computers. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was formed to encourage experimentation and computer literacy by making a capable computer inexpensive enough for schools, families, and beginners. The first commercial Raspberry Pi, the Model B, launched in February 2012 at a widely publicized price of US$35. Its credit-card-sized board used a Broadcom system-on-chip and exposed general-purpose input/output pins alongside USB, video, networking, and storage interfaces. It was designed to run a Linux-based operating system rather than function as a sealed consumer appliance. Early demand greatly exceeded expectations, creating distributor website failures, long waiting lists, and production challenges. The resulting community expanded the product far beyond classroom teaching: users adopted Raspberry Pi boards for home servers, media centers, robotics, environmental monitoring, industrial controls, home automation, and internet-of-things prototypes. The Foundation separated charitable and commercial responsibilities by establishing Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd. in 2012. The commercial organization handled engineering, manufacturing, sales, and partnerships, while the Foundation concentrated on education and outreach. Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd. became Raspberry Pi Ltd. in 2021 and was reorganized within Raspberry Pi Holdings, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in June 2024 under the RPI ticker. The product family broadened from the original Model A and Model B boards into several distinct lines. Mainstream Raspberry Pi computers evolved through the Pi 2, Pi 3, Pi 4, and Pi 5 generations, adding faster processors, wireless connectivity, USB 3.0, improved graphics, larger memory options, dual-display support, and, in the Pi 5, a PCIe interface and a Raspberry Pi-designed southbridge. The smaller Zero family targets low-cost and low-power embedded uses. Compute Modules package Raspberry Pi technology for industrial and commercial products. The keyboard-integrated Pi 400 and Pi 500 provide a more complete desktop-computing format. The Pico family, introduced in 2021, moved the brand into microcontrollers through Raspberry Pi-designed RP2040 and RP2350 chips. Raspberry Pi also maintains a broad software and accessory ecosystem. Raspberry Pi OS, derived from Debian, is the principal operating system, while official cases, power supplies, displays, cameras, networking accessories, and expansion boards make the devices usable by people with varying technical skills. More recent products have addressed edge artificial intelligence and computer vision, including an AI Camera using Sony's intelligent vision sensor and AI HAT+ accessories using Hailo neural-processing hardware. The brand's central proposition is unusually capable computing at accessible prices, combined with open documentation, a large user community, and physical interfaces suitable for experimentation. Although education remains part of its mission, commercial and industrial applications have become increasingly important. Supply constraints during the global semiconductor shortage caused prolonged availability problems from 2020 onward, and the company said it was prioritizing business and industrial customers while working to restore supply. Raspberry Pi remains active as both a hardware platform and an educational technology ecosystem.
History
The Raspberry Pi project grew out of concerns among Cambridge computer scientists about declining practical programming experience among students entering computer science. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was established in 2008, with Eben Upton among the founders, and pursued a charitable objective: create an inexpensive computer that could encourage children to learn programming. The concept drew inspiration from the BBC Micro's role in British computer education. The name combined a fruit-themed computing tradition with a reference to Python. Early prototypes evolved from small experimental boards into a functional computer capable of running a Debian-based desktop and displaying high-definition video. Beta boards were completed in late 2011, and a small number were auctioned before launch to generate publicity. The Model B became commercially available on 29 February 2012 at US$35. Premier Farnell and RS Components were appointed licensed distributors, but demand caused their websites to crash and produced very large initial order backlogs. The first units reached customers in April. Production was expanded rapidly, initially involving factories in Taiwan and China and later a major manufacturing relationship with Sony in Pencoed, Wales. The Foundation created Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd. in 2012 to separate commercial engineering and distribution from charitable education work. Eben Upton became chief executive of the trading company. The lower-cost Model A followed in 2013. Software development progressed alongside hardware: Raspbian, a Debian derivative optimized for the board, became the recommended operating system, and Raspberry Pi later assumed responsibility for its development. The organization also published increasingly detailed graphics documentation and open-source components, helping create a substantial developer community. From 2014 onward, Raspberry Pi expanded beyond its original two-board format. The Compute Module targeted embedded and industrial designers, while the Model B+ and Model A+ refined the original board layout and connector arrangement. Raspberry Pi 2 brought a quad-core processor, Raspberry Pi 3 added 64-bit processing and integrated wireless networking, and Raspberry Pi 4 delivered a larger performance increase with USB 3.0, faster Ethernet, dual-display support, and higher memory capacities. The US$5 Raspberry Pi Zero made the platform practical for very small, low-power projects. The company continued to diversify with the Pi Zero W, Compute Module 3+, Pi 400 keyboard computer, and Raspberry Pi Pico. Pico was strategically significant because it used the in-house RP2040 microcontroller rather than the Linux-capable SoCs used in the principal computer lines. Pico W added wireless connectivity, and Pico 2 introduced the RP2350 with selectable Arm and RISC-V processing cores. The COVID-era semiconductor shortage and a demand surge beginning in 2021 created sustained supply difficulties. Raspberry Pi communicated periodically about allocation and manufacturing, including a policy of prioritizing industrial and commercial customers. The Pi 5, released in October 2023, marked another major architectural step, combining a faster Arm processor and VideoCore VII graphics with PCIe and the Raspberry Pi-designed RP1 southbridge. Subsequent products extended that architecture to Compute Modules and keyboard computers, while AI Camera and AI HAT+ products broadened the platform toward edge inference. Raspberry Pi Holdings was admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange in June 2024. The listing formalized the commercial scale of the organization while the Raspberry Pi Foundation continued its education-focused role. The brand now spans educational computers, maker hardware, embedded modules, microcontrollers, software, and accessories, with applications ranging from classroom instruction to industrial automation and robotics.
- 2024
Raspberry Pi Holdings becomes publicly traded
[5]The holding company listed on the London Stock Exchange under RPI.
- 2023
Raspberry Pi 5 launches
[3]The Pi 5 added major CPU and GPU improvements, PCIe, and the RP1 southbridge.
- 2021
Pico and RP2040 introduced
[4]The brand entered microcontrollers with its own RP2040 chip and Raspberry Pi Pico board.
- 2019
Raspberry Pi 4 launches
[1]The Pi 4 brought USB 3.0, faster networking, dual-display capability, and expanded memory options.
- 2016
Raspberry Pi 3 launches
[1]The Pi 3 added a 64-bit processor, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth to the mainstream line.
- 2015
Raspberry Pi 2 and Pi Zero introduced
[1]The Pi 2 increased performance, while the US$5 Pi Zero established a much lower-cost form factor.
- 2014
Compute Module introduced
[1]Raspberry Pi introduced a compact module aimed at industrial and embedded applications.
- 2013
One million units sold
[1]Cumulative sales reached one million units in October.
- 2012
First commercial Raspberry Pi launches
[1]The Model B launched on 29 February at a US$35 introductory price.
- 2008
Raspberry Pi Foundation established
[1]The Foundation was created to promote computer-science education through affordable, programmable hardware.
Products and positioning
Affordable, flexible, educationally oriented computing with strong appeal to makers, developers, embedded-product designers, and industrial users.
Single-board computers · 2012
Main Raspberry Pi series
The flagship Linux-capable boards evolved from the 2012 Model B through the Pi 2, Pi 3, Pi 4, and Pi 5. They combine Arm-based processors, graphics, USB, display outputs, networking, GPIO, and microSD-based storage in compact boards suitable for learning, general-purpose computing, robotics, servers, and embedded projects.
Low-cost single-board computers · 2015
Raspberry Pi Zero
The Zero family provides a smaller, lower-power Linux computer for embedded and minimalist applications. Variants include the original Pi Zero, wireless Zero W, header-equipped Zero WH, and the faster quad-core Zero 2 W.
Embedded computing modules · 2014
Raspberry Pi Compute Module
Compute Modules package Raspberry Pi technology in formats intended for integration into commercial and industrial products. They are used by designers who need the Raspberry Pi software ecosystem and processor platform without the full standard-board connector arrangement.
Keyboard computers · 2020
Raspberry Pi 400 and 500
These products integrate Raspberry Pi computing hardware into a keyboard enclosure, creating a more self-contained desktop computer. The Pi 400 is based on Pi 4 technology, while the Pi 500 uses the Pi 5 platform and targets education, home computing, and accessible desktop use.
Microcontroller boards · 2021
Raspberry Pi Pico
Pico boards are microcontroller platforms rather than Linux computers. The original Pico used Raspberry Pi's RP2040, while Pico 2 uses RP2350. They are programmed by loading firmware into onboard flash memory and are suited to sensors, control systems, electronics experiments, and real-time embedded tasks.
Artificial-intelligence accessories · 2024
Raspberry Pi AI Camera and AI HAT+
These accessories extend Raspberry Pi systems into edge computer vision and machine learning. The AI Camera uses Sony's IMX500 intelligent vision sensor for on-sensor inference, while AI HAT+ uses a Hailo neural-processing unit to accelerate inference on compatible Raspberry Pi computers.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Affordable computing for education
United Kingdom · Worldwide
The Foundation and Raspberry Pi ecosystem promoted inexpensive, programmable computers as tools for teaching programming, electronics, and computer science.
Outcome. The platform developed a large educational, maker, and developer community.
Brand decisions
2024
Public listing of Raspberry Pi HoldingsOtherBackground
The commercial organization had grown into a substantial hardware business while remaining connected to the Foundation's educational mission.
Action taken
Raspberry Pi Holdings was admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange under the RPI ticker.
Aftermath
Raspberry Pi became a publicly traded commercial group, while the Foundation continued as the educational and charitable institution associated with the brand.
2021
Prioritize industrial and business customers during component shortagesStrategyBackground
Semiconductor shortages and a sharp increase in demand reduced availability across the product range.
Action taken
The company allocated constrained supply with priority given to business and industrial customers while it worked to expand production.
Aftermath
Consumer availability remained constrained for an extended period, and Raspberry Pi continued issuing supply updates.
2015
Lower-cost Pi Zero introducedPrice changeBackground
The company sought to make programmable computing available in an even smaller and cheaper format.
Action taken
Raspberry Pi launched the Pi Zero at a stated introductory price of US$5.
Aftermath
The Zero became a low-cost option for embedded, educational, and hobbyist projects.
Launch price. US$5 (November 2015)
2012
Separate charitable and commercial operationsStrategyBackground
Demand for the first board required dedicated engineering, manufacturing, distribution, and commercial management.
Action taken
The Raspberry Pi Foundation established Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd. while retaining its educational and charitable focus.
Aftermath
The commercial entity became the operating center for product development and sales, while the Foundation continued education work.
Recent events
BrainChip launches AKD1500 Raspberry Pi 5 Development Kit[8]
BrainChip launched the AKD1500 Raspberry Pi 5 Development Kit, which pairs a Raspberry Pi 5 with BrainChip’s AKD1500 M.2 board for developing AI applications.
Reported
Anthropic launches Model Hardware Standard (MHS) for AI agents to control physical hardware[9]
Anthropic announced the Model Hardware Standard (MHS), a new standard that lets large-model-driven AI agents such as Claude safely and quickly operate physical devices including microscopes, robotic arms, liquid handlers and lasers. MHS was developed from a collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus and is available as a research preview to a first group of research labs and advanced manufacturers. Hardware and software vendors including AWS, Automata, Danaher, Doosan Robotics, MBF Bioscience, QIAGEN, Tecan, Universal Robots, Hugging Face and Raspberry Pi are adding or testing MHS support.
Reported
Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.11 released with rpi-preseed first-boot customization format[10]
Raspberry Pi released Raspberry Pi Imager version 2.0.11 on August 14, 2026, adding support for the rpi-preseed first-boot customization format, refactoring credential handling, and fixing issues across compressed images, Windows, macOS, and Fastboot support for Compute Module users.
Reported
Raspberry Pi releases Bullseye system update[11]
Raspberry Pi officially released the Bullseye system, based on Debian Linux. The update raises the default clock speed of the Raspberry Pi 4 SoC to 1.8 GHz and adds an optional 64-bit version, alongside interface and notification changes.
Reported
Raspberry Pi reintroduces 1GB Raspberry Pi 4 variant[12]
Raspberry Pi reintroduced the 1GB Raspberry Pi 4 variant at $35, giving customers another choice amid component shortages.
Reported
OnLogic unveils Raspberry Pi-powered industrial computer[13]
OnLogic unveiled its first Raspberry Pi-powered industrial computer, designed for industrial, automation and IoT applications. The device was expected to become available later in 2021.
Raspberry Pi Foundation launches Pi Pico[14]
The Raspberry Pi Foundation released the Pi Pico microcontroller development board, which the source says is already on sale for $4.
Reported
Raspberry Pi Foundation launches official cooling fan[15]
The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the release of a $5 fan and heatsink accessory for Raspberry Pi 4, intended for use with the official case.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
e络盟 launches Raspberry Pi 4 starter kit[16]
e络盟 launched a Raspberry Pi 4 starter kit containing a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B computer and products from its Multicomp Pro range.
Reported
Raspberry Pi 2GB Model B price cut to $35[17]
Raspberry Pi announced that the 2GB Model B would be available for $35, a $10 reduction from its usual $45 price; the lower price was to be permanent and adopted by approved resellers.
Sources23 sources
- 1Raspberry Pien.wikipedia.org
- 2Raspberry Pi official websiteraspberrypi.com
- 3Raspberry Pi 5raspberrypi.com
- 4Raspberry Pi Picoraspberrypi.com
- 5Raspberry Pi Holdings plc admission to tradingraspberrypi.com
- 6Affordable computing for educationraspberrypi.com
- 7Prioritize industrial and business customers during component shortagesraspberrypi.com
- 8BrainChip 推出 AKD1500 Raspberry Pi 5 开发套件design-reuse.com
- 9Anthropic发布面向AI智能体操控物理硬件的Model Hardware Standard（MHS）finance.sina.com.cn
- 10树莓派烧录工具 Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.11 版发布，加入 rpi-preseed 首次启动定制格式finance.sina.com.cn
- 11Raspberry Pi发布Bullseye系统更新finance.sina.com.cn
- 12Raspberry Pi重新推出1GB版Raspberry Pi 4engadget.com
- 13OnLogic发布树莓派工业计算机eejournal.com
- 14树莓派基金会发布 Pi Picoitbear.com.cn
- 15Raspberry Pi基金会发布官方散热风扇finance.sina.com.cn
- 16e络盟推出 Raspberry Pi 4 入门套件tech.sina.com.cn
- 17Raspberry Pi 2GB Model B 降价至 35 美元cnet.com
- 18树莓派4测试版固件更新itbear.com.cn
- 19樹莓派基金會發布4美元Pico擴充板ithome.com.tw
- 20Anthropic launches framework for AI agents to operate devicesbignewsnetwork.com
- 21Anthropic launches Model Hardware Standard for AI agentsthehindubusinessline.com
- 22Raspberry Pi Introduces a New $4 Board, and Its Own Silicongizmodo.com
- 23Raspberry Pi launches a $4 microcontroller with a custom chip - Technowizetechnowize.com
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/raspberry-pi · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled