Even the Raspberry Pi is Getting in on AI

The Raspberry Pi, known for its affordability and versatility, is now making significant strides in the field of artificial intelligence. At the Embedded World 2024 conference, the Raspberry Pi Foundation showcased several new AI-enabled products, highlighting the increasing role of AI in everyday technology projects.

Raspberry Pi AI Kit

One of the standout products is the Raspberry Pi AI Kit, developed in collaboration with Hailo. This kit integrates a Hailo-8L AI accelerator module with the Raspberry Pi 5, enabling high-performance, power-efficient AI applications. The AI Kit boasts 13 tera-operations per second (TOPS) of inferencing performance and a single-lane PCIe 3.0 connection running at 8Gbps. It is designed for AI vision applications, supporting real-time, low-latency processing with minimal power consumption. The kit’s versatility allows users to run multiple neural networks on a single camera or operate two cameras concurrently, making it suitable for various AI-driven projects like computer vision and object detection​​.

AI Camera Kit

Another notable product is the AI camera kit, which was previewed at the conference. This kit features a Sony IMX500 sensor with onboard processing capabilities, relieving the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W’s 1 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU from heavy workloads. The AI camera kit can track people at 30 frames per second, demonstrating impressive performance given its compact size. It comes with flexible flat cables compatible with all Raspberry Pi models, ensuring broad usability​​.

Sony’s Investment in Raspberry Pi

Sony’s investment in Raspberry Pi has been pivotal in integrating advanced AI capabilities into these devices. The collaboration focuses on incorporating Sony’s Aitrios platform, which supports edge AI computing. Unlike traditional cloud-based AI, edge AI processes data directly on the device, reducing latency and enhancing privacy by analyzing data on-chip and sending only metadata to the cloud. This makes the Raspberry Pi an even more powerful tool for developers working on AI-driven projects such as surveillance, inventory monitoring, and more​.

New Accessories and Monitors

In addition to AI kits, Raspberry Pi also introduced a new 15.6-inch monitor at the conference. This monitor connects via HDMI and features built-in speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and multiple mounting options, including a kickstand and VESA mount. It is designed to complement Raspberry Pi projects by providing a quick and easy display solution​​.

The integration of AI capabilities into the Raspberry Pi ecosystem marks a significant advancement, making powerful AI accessible to hobbyists, educators, and developers. These new products not only expand the potential applications of Raspberry Pi but also reinforce its position as a versatile tool in the tech community.