Sony is ramping up production of the Raspberry Pi 4

The single-board computer Raspberry Pi has maintained high prices in recent years, accompanied by severe overpricing issues, with even older or second-hand models fetching elevated prices, transforming it into a financial asset.

The primary reason for this situation is the previously constrained supply chain and chip shortages severely limiting factory production. Under these circumstances, Raspberry Pi must prioritize supplying entrepreneurial companies and other corporate clients, leaving minimal inventory for retailers. This is the main reason for the current high premiums on Raspberry Pi devices.

At the end of last year, the Raspberry Pi founder revealed in a media interview that the Raspberry Pi 5 would not be launched in 2023 due to the need for a gradual supply chain recovery. As the supply chain progressively recovers, Raspberry Pi production is steadily increasing, allowing for more inventory to be allocated to the retail market.

The Raspberry Pi official has not yet provided an update on the current situation. However, developer @Geerlingguy recently visited the Raspberry Pi factory in the United Kingdom and claimed that the facility is producing Raspberry Pi 4 and other models, suggesting that light is visible at the end of the tunnel.

Sony is accelerating the production of Raspberry Pi 4, with supply and pricing issues expected to gradually ease. Most Raspberry Pi devices are manufactured in Sony’s Welsh factory in the United Kingdom, with some produced in Chinese and Japanese facilities. Therefore, e-commerce platforms typically label products as UK or CN versions to denote different production locations.

Intermittent shutdowns at Sony factories in the United Kingdom and Japan occurred previously due to the pandemic, compounded by supply chain issues. This led to difficulties in procuring and transporting components for Raspberry Pi and resulted in a significant decline in production capacity.

Now that Sony factories have fully resumed operations, as long as there are no major issues with Raspberry Pi’s supply chain, subsequent supply difficulties should be significantly alleviated.

Lastly, @Geerlingguy will be releasing a video of his visit to the Sony factory, and interested users can follow him on Twitter for updates.