Raspberry Pi, the popular single-board computer and module manufacturer, is set to recover from poor sales as it works to clear customer backlogs. In a recent newsletter, Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton announced that the company is on track to shift one million units per month from this summer. This is a significant improvement from the company’s worst quarter since 2015, having shipped only 800,000 units in Q1 2023. However, Raspberry Pi hopes to sell as many as 800,000 units in June alone and sustain one million units per month by July.
Upton attributes the previous two years of shortages to be “painful,” but he believes that those days are gone. He also blames December 2022 for the reduction in Q1 2023 shipments, with the company having pulled back production to meet holiday demand. However, thanks to Sony’s willingness to stockpile the non-silicon elements of Raspberry Pi’s bill of materials, the company has been able to convert this improved supply into finished goods rapidly.
Looking ahead, Upton shared predictions in an interview with YouTuber Jeff Geerling that Q2 2023 shipments should be around two million units – a figure similar to what the company could have expected before the pandemic took hold of the economy. For the final half of 2023, Upton reckons that supply should be “unconstrained,” hinting at an approach to factory and manufacturing limitations. However, backlogs are expected to be cleared ahead of such a scenario.
Finally, Upton spoke of the tough decisions he was forced to make as CEO of the company, proudly announcing, “I’m not sorry that we didn’t float the price.” Many of the company’s cheapest systems and components are available comfortably within a $10 budget, helping to drive success for the company among educational and research establishments or just those looking to play around with their favorite Linux distro.
Raspberry Pi’s stock problems seem to be over, and the company is set to have its best year ever in terms of sales. With the help of Sony’s stockpiling and improved supply, Raspberry Pi is on track to shift one million units per month from this summer. The company hopes to clear customer backlogs and sustain this level of sales for as long as necessary. Looking ahead, Raspberry Pi is optimistic about the future and expects to see supply become “unconstrained” in the final half of 2023.