Raspberry Pi
series of low-cost single-board computers used for educational purposes and embedded systems
Raspberry Pi ( PY) is a series of small single-board computers (SBCs) originally developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in collaboration with Broadcom. To commercialize the product and support its growing demand, the Foundation established a commercial entity, now known as Raspberry Pi Holdings.
The Raspberry Pi was originally created to help teach computer science in schools, but gained popularity for many other uses for its low cost, high performance, compact size, and flexibility. It is now used in areas such as industrial automation, robotics, home automation, IoT devices, and hobbyist projects.
The company's products range from simple microcontrollers to computers that the company markets as being powerful enough to be used as a general purpose PC. Computers are built around a custom designed system on a chip and offer features such as HDMI video/audio output, USB ports, wireless networking, GPIO pins, and up to 16 GB of RAM. Storage is typically provided via microSD cards.
In 2015, the Raspberry Pi surpassed the ZX Spectrum as the best-selling British computer of all time. As of March 2026, over 75 million units had been sold.
History
Origins and launch (2008–2012)
The Raspberry Pi Foundation was established in 2008 by a group including Eben Upton, in response to a noticeable decline in both the number and skill level of students applying to study computer science at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. The foundation's goal was to create a low-cost computer to help rekindle interest in programming among schoolchildren.
This mission was inspired by the aims of the BBC Micro computer of the early 1980s, which was developed by Acorn Computers as part of a BBC initiative to promote computer literacy in UK schools.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Raspberry Pi” as series of low-cost single-board computers used for educational purposes and embedded systems. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as series of low-cost single-board computers used for educational purposes and embedded systems. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q245. The Library of Congress control number is sh2013000263. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2015, 2026, 2008 and 2012.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Raspberry Pi”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Raspberry Pi primary sources, Raspberry Pi archive and Raspberry research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Raspberry Pi”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Raspberry Pi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.