Raspberry Pi Prices Rise Again Amid RAM Shortage
▼ Summary
– AI-driven chip shortages are causing significant price increases for PC components like RAM and SSDs, with hikes expected to continue throughout the year.
– Raspberry Pi is raising prices for most of its single-board computers for the second time in two months, as announced by CEO Eben Upton.
– The price increases apply to all Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 models with 2GB or more of RAM, including Compute Modules and the Raspberry Pi 500.
– Specific price hikes range from $10 for 2GB boards to $60 for 16GB boards, with the 16GB Pi 5 now costing $205.
– These latest hikes follow previous increases in December and October, making the 8GB Pi 4 and Pi 5 models cost $125 and $135 respectively.
The global shortage of memory and storage chips, largely driven by surging demand from the artificial intelligence sector, is now directly impacting the popular Raspberry Pi single-board computers. For the second time in just two months, the company has announced significant price increases across its product line, a move that will affect hobbyists, educators, and commercial developers who rely on these affordable computing platforms.
Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton confirmed the latest round of price adjustments, which specifically target models equipped with 2GB or more of LPDDR4 RAM. This includes the entire Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 families, as well as the Compute Module 4 and 5 and the Raspberry Pi 500 keyboard computer. The new increases are substantial and vary by memory capacity. The 2GB models will see a $10 increase, 4GB boards will rise by $15, and 8GB versions will jump by $30. Most dramatically, the price of the 16GB models will surge by $60.
These new hikes compound earlier increases, creating a steep climb in cost over a short period. In December, most Pi 4 and 5 models received a blanket price increase of $5 to $15, following more selective adjustments for certain models in early October. As a result, the total cost for consumers has risen sharply. The 16GB version of the Raspberry Pi 5 will now retail for $205, a notable threshold for a product line founded on accessibility. Meanwhile, the 8GB models of both the Pi 4 and Pi 5 have also crossed the $100 mark, priced at $125 and $135 respectively.
The underlying cause remains a constrained supply chain for essential components. The intense demand for high-bandwidth memory and storage from AI data centers and PC manufacturers has created a shortage that is rippling out to affect countless other electronics. For Raspberry Pi users, this trend signals that the era of consistently low prices may be over, at least for the foreseeable future. The company’s announcement suggests that elevated pricing could persist throughout the rest of the year, if not longer, as the industry grapples with these supply challenges.
(Source: Ars Technica)
