Ongoing RAM crisis prompts Raspberry Pi’s second price hike in two months

The ongoing shortage of memory and storage chips, exacerbated by the rise of AI technologies, has significantly impacted the availability and pricing of RAM and SSDs for PC builders. This crisis is prompting price increases across various products reliant on these components, with expectations that such hikes will persist throughout the year. In a recent announcement, Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton revealed that the company will implement a second price increase on many of its popular single-board computers within just two months. This new pricing strategy affects all Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 models featuring 2GB or more of LPDDR4 RAM, including the Compute Module 4 and 5, as well as the Raspberry Pi 500, which integrates a computer within a keyboard. The adjustments are substantial: the price of the 2GB boards will rise by $10, while 4GB models will see an increase of $15. The 8GB versions will go up by $30, and the 16GB boards will experience a dramatic $60 hike. These increases follow previous adjustments made in December, where most Pi 4 and 5 models saw a price rise of $5 to $15, along with additional targeted increases in early October. Consequently, the 16GB version of the Pi 5 is now priced at an impressive $205, while the 8GB versions of the Pi 4 and 5 will cost $125 and $135, respectively, marking a significant milestone as the only other boards surpassing the $100 mark.