The Raspberry Pi, the multi-use nano-computer, had fallen victim to persistent shortages of semiconductors. The Raspberry Pi company has announced the end of this shortage with a strong comeback of the Raspberry Pis for the middle of the year.
The Raspberry Pi is a multi-use nano-computer, a little bit bigger than a credit card, and is usable for a wide variety of projects. This nano-computer comes in various models, with prices varying depending on their different characteristics. For example, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B has 1Gb RAM and is equipped with the Wifi, it cost around 50 euros before the shortages. The Raspberry Zero on the other hand was the least powerful one and cost around 10 euros. With these nano-computers, as said before, a wide variety of projects is feasible, such as a media center, a game or hosting server, a home automation command center, a security system with sensors and surveillance cameras, and many more. Almost everything is possible with enough imagination. This corresponds to the vision of its creator.
The Raspberry Pi was created by Eben Upton to inspire young people to become computer scientists or developers. This way, the nano-computer makes informatics and coding more accessible. More than 50 million units were sold worldwide. A community developed around these and created rich documentation. As such, it is possible for a complete beginner to buy a Raspberry Pi from official resellers and to do their project without any major difficulties.
However, the recent events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, have lead to a shortage of semiconductors and this lead to the shortage of Raspberry Pis. The company had to prioritize its commercial customers, such as other companies or people who worked in education. The general customers were put aside and suffered the most from this shortage. At the end of December, it was announced on the company’s website that the supply chain would recover. They announced an end to the semiconductors’ shortages and hope for a pre-pandemic level of stock in the second quarter of 2023. They also hope for unlimited supply in the second half of the year. As of now, February 2023, the writing date of this article, no stock is to be found aside from the ones from two resellers, one Portuguese and the other Italian.
Nonetheless, this doesn’t stop the company from hoping for a better future. They even scheduled a store pop-up tour around the UK, starting in April. This tour could be the only chance for consumers to get a Raspberry Pi while waiting for the complete stabilization of the situation. The company also announced that they are working on a new model of Raspberry Pi, the Raspberry 5. But this model won’t see the light before 2024 at least. Another announcement was made about new camera models for the Raspberry Pi in partnership with Sony. In conclusion, the company hopes for the situation to normalize as soon as possible. As such, the future of Raspberry Pis is as bright as ever, even though some other events may lead to other shortages of semiconductors such as an agreement between the USA, Japan and the Netherlands to tighten the sanctions against China about semiconductors.
Raspberry Pi: the nanocomputer finally back in stock?
The Raspberry PI, the multi-purpose nano-computer, was the victim of semiconductor stock-outs. The company of the same name has announced the end of this stock shortage with a strong comeback of Raspberry PI around the middle of 2023.
The Raspberry Pi is a nano-computer, a computer barely larger than a bank card and which can be used for a multitude of projects. This nano-computer is available in several models, at more or less high prices depending on the characteristics. For example, the Raspberry PI 3 model B is equipped with a 1GB ram and a Wifi module and cost before the rupture around 50 euros. The Raspberry Pi Zero, which has the lowest capacities, sold for around 10 euros. With this type of nanocomputer, it is possible to carry out a wide variety of projects. It is possible to create a media center, a game or hosting server, a command center for home automation, a security system with sensors and surveillance cameras, etc. The Raspberry Pi is a was created by Eben Upton with the goal of inspiring more young people to become computer scientists or developers. It therefore democratizes computing and more particularly the practice of code. Raspberry Pis have sold over 50 million units worldwide. A whole community surrounds these nano-computers. Thanks to this, a very extensive documentation is available. It is thus possible for complete beginners to obtain a Raspberry from official resellers and to implement their project without great difficulty.
However, the situation related to recent events such as the covid pandemic has led to a shortage of semiconductors and this has led to a shortage of Raspberry PIs. The company of the same name had to prioritize these professional customers, that is to say companies and its customers in the education sector. Individuals had been sidelined and suffered the most from this stock shortage. At the end of December, it was announced on the company’s website that the situation would recover. They announced the end of the shortage of semiconductors and hope to recover the pre-covid inventory level in the second quarter of the year 2023. Around the middle of the year, they announce a recovery to an unlimited level of inventories. For the moment at the date of this article, February 2023, no stock is available for individuals except at two resellers in Portugal and Italy.
This does not prevent the company from hoping for an improvement in the situation. They’ve even planned a pop-up store tour across the UK starting in April. This tour could be the only opportunity to get Raspberry pi while waiting for the full recovery of the situation. The company has also announced that it is working on a brand new model of Raspberry PI, the Raspberry Pi 5, but this will not see the light of day before at least 2024. They were able to announce new camera models for the Raspberry Pi in partnership with Sony. The company therefore hopes for a return to normal as soon as possible. The use of Raspberry Pi is therefore not about to stop, even if certain events risk interrupting the supply chain of semiconductors again, such as if an agreement is reached between the USA, Japan and the Netherlands regarding sanctions against China and regarding semiconductors.
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