Do You Know the '40,000 Won Computer' Raspberry Pi? [Im Juhyung's Tech Talk]

SBC Designed by UK Raspberry Pi Foundation
Affordable Computer with Semiconductor Integrated on Single Board
Created for Youth Programming Education
Widely Used in Developing Countries' Education, Research Institutes, and Factories

Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computer released last year. / Photo by Wikipedia capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Today, PCs have become indispensable in our lives. Whether in offices or ordinary households, people use PCs for work or leisure. However, in developing countries with low average incomes, PCs often remain expensive products owned only by middle-class or wealthier families.

In the information age, epitomized by the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution,' there is probably no wealth gap more serious than the inability to use a PC. To reduce this new 'digital divide,' a computer costing only 40,000 won was created. It is the 'Single Board Computer (SBC)' Raspberry Pi, developed to widely promote programming education.

◆Raspberry Pi Developed as a 'Computer Teaching Aid' for Youth

Raspberry Pi is a computer designed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charitable organization located in Cambridgeshire, UK, famous for the University of Cambridge, one of the world's top universities.

The foundation was established in 2009. One of the founders, Eben Upton, was an IT expert who majored in computer engineering at St John's College, Cambridge University. At that time, he was concerned about the declining number of young people interested in computer programming in the UK.

Why did the number of young people with programming knowledge decrease despite the increase in electronic devices such as smartphones and laptops? Upton explained the reason in a 2012 interview with a computer specialty media outlet.

Developer Eben Upton explaining about the Raspberry Pi at a lecture in 2012. / Photo by TED (YouTube video capture)

At that time, Upton pointed out, "Modern youth have fewer opportunities to use programmable computer hardware compared to the 1980s," adding, "This is why the number of young people under 18 with programming knowledge is decreasing." In other words, while expensive finished electronic devices are abundant, there was a shortage of computers that could serve as 'teaching aids.'

To solve this problem, Upton and like-minded researchers such as David Cleevely and Rob Mullins raised funds and established the foundation.

The foundation then collaborated with the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory and the global computer manufacturer Broadcom in the United States to begin designing an 'educational computer.' The foundation's goal was to create the world's cheapest and easiest-to-use computer and distribute it to schools worldwide.

◆SBCs Starting at 5,000 Won... Tens of Millions Sold Annually

The foundation saw potential in SBCs. An SBC is a computer in which various semiconductors essential for computer functions are integrated onto a single silicon substrate. Compared to PCs, SBCs lack expandability and performance but have the advantages of being much cheaper and more portable.

The SBC designed directly by the foundation, the 'Raspberry Pi,' was first released to the market in 2012. It was designed at the UK headquarters and manufactured in China and Taiwan. The price was only about $25 (approximately 29,500 won) for the cheaper 'Raspberry Pi A' and $35 (approximately 41,000 won) for the higher-performance 'Raspberry Pi B,' both priced around 40,000 won.

The sales performance of Raspberry Pi was a tremendous success. According to the foundation's memoir published in 2012 by the US IT media 'Engadget,' so many consumers flocked to the website as soon as sales began that the foundation's server was paralyzed.

The ultra-compact SBC 'Raspberry Pi Pico' sold for about 4000~5000 KRW / Photo by Raspberry Pi Official Website Capture

From the start of sales in 2012 through 2013, 700,000 Raspberry Pi SBCs were sold in one year. In 2014, sales surged more than fivefold to 4 million units. By 2016, sales reached 10 million units, and as of this May, a staggering 40 million SBCs have been sold.

The foundation reinvests all profits from Raspberry Pi sales into designing new computers. The original Raspberry Pi SBC has now reached its fourth generation, with prices ranging from 40,000 won to 90,000 won, offering more variety than before.

Additionally, the foundation released much cheaper ultra-compact devices called 'Raspberry Pi Zero' and 'Raspberry Pi Pico.' These computers are sold almost at cost, priced at $5 (approximately 5,900 won) and $4 (approximately 4,700 won), respectively.

◆From Education in Developing Countries to 'Democratizing Science'

Although the foundation created SBCs to support computer science education for British youth, the impact of Raspberry Pi has spread worldwide. Especially in several poor countries in Africa and Asia, where it was difficult to provide expensive PCs to classrooms, Raspberry Pi has enabled coding education for students.

For example, Bensua in Cameroon was a poor area without proper water or electricity connections, but with the help of an international volunteer organization, 30 Raspberry Pi computers were purchased and installed in a middle school. Thanks to this, youths in the Bensua area can now receive programming education for the first time in history.

A school in Cameroon that set up a computer lab using Raspberry Pi SBC / Photo by Raspberry Pi Official Website Capture

But that is not all. Raspberry Pi is now driving the advancement of cutting-edge industries. From university-affiliated research institutes to factories, people who needed computers to introduce digital technology have started using Raspberry Pi SBCs as inexpensive substitutes.

Although Raspberry Pi's performance is far lower than that of general PCs, it is much cheaper, consumes less power, and uses an 'open-source' approach (software publicly available to anyone), allowing users to modify it according to their purposes.

Regarding this, the renowned British scientific journal 'Nature' stated in an article last year, "Raspberry Pi is being used in various fields such as 3D printing, biological research, and diagnostic testing," and praised that thanks to the affordable and versatile Raspberry Pi, 'democratizing science' is being achieved.