News about Raspberry Pi 6 and Microcontroller Development – Jeff Geerling

15 hours ago

The Raspberry Pi 6 is expected around 2026-2027, but Eben Upton suggested it may not arrive until early 2028 due to factors like a global DRAM shortage and high costs.
Pi 6 will focus on performance improvements like a faster CPU and I/O, rather than new features such as built-in M.2 slots or an AI-specific NPU, with Eben stating the CPU will handle AI compute.
The Pi Zero 2W faces supply constraints due to AI chip production, but shortages should be temporary as Raspberry Pi brings in a new vendor.
A Pi Zero 3 is not imminent due to cost challenges with moving away from single-sided PCBs and the expense of newer LPDDR RAM for the $15 price point.
The Raspberry Pi 3B remains popular, selling nearly a million units a year despite being over a decade old.
The RP2350 microcontroller development faced power and security challenges, but a silicon revision fixed issues, and USB-C may replace micro USB in future Picos despite cost constraints.
Microcontroller shipments surpassed Pi SBC sales in 2025, with the gap likely widening as Pi prices rise.
Software support is a key strength for Raspberry Pi, with the CTO committing 95% of software engineering time to libraries, drivers, kernels, and OS development.

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