Representatives of the Raspberry Pi Foundation have announced on their blog that the Compute Module 4 is now ready for sale starting at $25. The system-on-module variant of the Raspberry Pi 4 runs the same 64-bit quad-core BCM2711 application processor.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity founded in 2009 in Cambridge. Its goal is to promote computer literacy to people of all income levels. To that end, the foundation has collaborated with other entities to create extremely inexpensive computers—the first was the Raspberry Pi 1. Over the past decade, the team at the foundation has developed follow-up computers, each single-board and very small. To date, the line consists of the Pi 1 through Pi 4, and together, they outsell all other computer brands in the U.K. The foundation has also produced what it describes as system-on-module variants of each computer (except the Pi 3), which they call Compute Modules—they are essentially stripped-down versions of their namesakes configured on a single small circuit board.
In the announcement, the team at the Raspberry Pi Foundation note that they sell approximately 7 million units each year, half of which go to commercial entities for use in thin clients, digital signage and process automation. Most of the other half are believed to be purchased by individuals working on DIY projects at home.
The Raspberry Pi 4 was released 16 months ago; Compute Module 4 went on sale October 19. It is described on the blog as the most powerful Compute Module to date. Because of its many expected uses, the Module 4 comes in 32 variants with prices varying depending on features. In addition to its quad-core processor, the Module comes with graphics support, hardware decoder, HDMI ports, USB ports, a PCI interface, camera interfaces, at least a gigabyte of memory, flash storage, clock and battery backup, a wireless option, an ethernet option and a host of other features. Buyers have the option of upgrading memory, adding wireless and internet and several other features. Adding as much as possible brings the cost to $90, the most expensive option available. Also, for customers using Compute Module 4 in an environment unsuitable for signal reception, an external antenna plug-in with cord option is available.