Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi started in 2008 when a group of academics at the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory noticed a drop in students applying to study computer science. The founders, including Eben Upton and David Braben, wanted a computer priced like a textbook that kids could experiment with, much like the BBC Micro had been for an earlier generation. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was registered as a charity in May 2009, and the first Model B launched on 29 February 2012, selling out instantly. Production moved to Sony's UK factory in Pencoed, South Wales, later that year, keeping manufacturing in Britain.

What makes the Pi special is its combination of low cost, compact size, and flexibility. The boards use a custom system-on-chip, and depending on the model, they include HDMI output, USB ports, wireless networking, and a row of GPIO pins for connecting sensors and motors. Storage runs off a microSD card, and RAM goes up to 16 GB on the latest Raspberry Pi 5. That simple recipe has made the Pi popular for everything from teaching kids to code to powering home automation hubs, robots, and IoT devices. Hobbyists love it, but so do professional engineers who use it for industrial automation and prototyping.

By 2015, the Raspberry Pi had passed the ZX Spectrum to become the best-selling British computer ever. Cumulative sales hit 68 million units by March 2025, and the company went public on the London Stock Exchange in June 2024, reporting FY25 revenue of $323.2 million. The brand has spawned countless clones, accessories, and dedicated software distributions, making it a cornerstone of the maker movement. Its mission remains educational, but the commercial arm now serves a growing industrial market, with over two-thirds of sales going to embedded and industrial customers. [edit]