element14 Sales reach 15 Million Raspberry Pi Computer in the world

element14 sales help make Raspberry Pi the UK’s most successful computer, and the third-most popular general-purpose computing platform in history

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Bangalore, India – 26 September 2019: element14, the Development Distributor, is the leading manufacturer and distributor of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer (SBC), which it has sold to electronic design engineers, educators, hobbyists and makers since its launch in 2012. element14’s sales alone, which are supported by its holistic offering including a diverse ecosystem of accessories and support through its element14 Community, have now reached the remarkable total of 15 million devices worldwide

Raspberry Pi’s most recent launch, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B computer, has driven a significant increase in sales. This new board is the most powerful Raspberry Pi to date: three times faster than the previous model with a range of memory options and improved interfacing and connectivity to extend capabilities for all users. Raspberry Pi 4 can be used as a high-performance embedded platform, or as a full-featured desktop computer.

element14 stocks all Raspberry Pi models, alongside its diverse ecosystem of accessories, which supports users as they build devices for home, education or commercial applications. element14 has championed Raspberry Pi through its element14 Community, creating a forum for its 650,000 members to access informative and educational threads, be inspired by fellow members’ ideas, and get involved in Raspberry Pi-based design challenges.

element14 also supports customers as they bring products to market with its maker-to-market service, programmes for startups, 24/7 technical support and an exclusive agreement with Raspberry Pi (Trading) for the customisation of Raspberry Pi products. Customers supported by element14 include French startup Airnodes, who developed a smart mirror which can now be seen in hotels across France, and Futurehome, based in Norway who developed an app-based home automation system using a Raspberry Pi-based platform customised by element14.

 Key facts about element14 and Raspberry Pi:

  • element14 is the largest global manufacturer and distributor of Raspberry Pi and has sold 15 million Raspberry Pi boards sold to date.
  • Insight from element14’s Raspberry Pi User survey shows just how varied the use of the SBC is; 33% of respondents use Raspberry Pi for personal projects, 33% for proof-of-concept and prototyping, and the final third of respondents use Raspberry Pi in informal or formal education. The combination of price, performance and ease of use make the Raspberry Pi the SBC of choice for many. element14’s research also highlighted the increasing use of Raspberry Pi products by professional engineers in IoT, industrial automation and control applications.
  • element14’s parent company, Avnet, is using its experience and expertise to develop devices such as the Avnet Smartedge Industrial IoT Gateway, powered by Raspberry Pi, to help customers scale their prototypes and bring products to market.

Lee Turner, Global Head of Semiconductors and Single Board Computers for element14 says: “element14 is Raspberry Pi’s leading global distribution partner, selling 15 million devices since launch in 2012. This is a major milestone for element14 as well as the Raspberry Pi Foundation and we are delighted to have shared the journey with them so far. The new Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer is a gamechanger, providing customers with a faster, more powerful and more feature-rich single board computer than ever before. The power of the Raspberry Pi 4, element14’s extensive distribution network, and the strength of element14’s parent company, Avnet, in developing devices such as the Avnet Smartedge Industrial IoT Gateway, powered by Raspberry Pi, can only pave the way for more great things from this little board.”

Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi (Trading), says: “We have been working with element14 since 2012 to put Raspberry Pi products in the hands of hobbyists, educators and professional design engineers all over the world. In 2015, we announced an exclusive agreement to provide customized variants of our products to element14’s engineering customer base, and in June this year we launched Raspberry Pi 4 Model B together, bringing PC-equivalent performance to the sub-$50 price bracket. We are extremely excited that element14 have crossed the 15-million-unit mark; we look forward to shipping many more units together, and continuing to change lives all over the world.”

Raspberry Pi computers and accessories are available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

For more information, visit our websites at http://www.farnell.com/corporate

and https://www.avnet.com.