My two Raspberry Pi boards cost as much as a laptop now - and AI is to blame

## Summary
Close Home Tech Computing My two Raspberry Pi boards cost as much as a laptop now - and AI is to blame We live in a time when two 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 boards cost the same as a MacBook Neo. Once celebrated as a low-cost solution for hobbyists, the price of Raspberry Pi boards has now soared to the point where two 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 boards will cost you as much as a new MacBook Neo . This isn't just a Raspberry Pi problem As AI data centers continue to expand, the scarcity -- and astronomical cost -- of essential components like RAM are likely to persist. Also: This new Raspberry Pi accessory is a must-have for your multi-OS and data-hungry projects Add to that the constant pressure from hardware manufacturers to always be lowering prices, and there's little incentive for RAM makers to increase production for consumers.

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My two Raspberry Pi boards cost as much as a laptop now - and AI is to blame
We live in a time when two 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 boards cost the same as a MacBook Neo. Here's why - and how to save.
Written by
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes,
Senior Contributing Editor
Senior Contributing Editor
April 2, 2026 at 6:16 a.m. PT
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
RAM prices are soaring due to AI demand, driving up Pi costs.
Two Raspberry Pi boards can now cost as much as a laptop.
AI data centers are fuelling RAM shortages, impacting consumers.
It's no exaggeration to say that RAM prices are skyrocketing, driving up the cost of products that rely heavily on memory. One product category that's been hit particularly hard is the Raspberry Pi single-board computer.
Once celebrated as a low-cost solution for hobbyists, the price of Raspberry Pi boards has now soared to the point where two 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 boards will cost you as much as a new
MacBook Neo
.
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So, what's going on with RAM prices?
What's causing the RAM price surge?
Most industry experts blame AI data centers as the main culprit. G.Skill, a well-known RAM manufacturer,
issued a statement last year
explicitly citing "unprecedented high demand from the AI industry."
After all, we all want the ability to enjoy
videos of a giant cat fighting Godzilla
, right?
At first, we saw massive price hikes for the newer DDR5 RAM, but as manufacturers and consumers decided to stick with DDR4, the price of that also went stratospheric.
The demand from AI data centers has grown so significantly that Micron, one of the largest memory manufacturers,
decided to shutter its Crucial consumer business
and focus entirely on supplying memory to data centers.
Why is AI driving this demand?
The answer is simple: data centers consume massive amounts of RAM, far beyond what consumer devices require. PC maker
Framework
highlighted this disparity in a blog post last month:
"A single rack of NVIDIA's GB300 solution uses 20TB of HBM3E and 17TB of LPDDR5X. That's enough LPDDR5X for a thousand laptops, and an AI-focused data center is loaded with thousands of these racks!"
Put simply, the companies building these data centers have deep pockets and vast amounts of investment capital, leaving everyday consumers -- like those buying laptops for work or school -- unable to compete for affordable RAM.
Staggering price increases
The price hikes are jaw-dropping.
Eben Upton, founder and CEO of Raspberry Pi, recently addressed the issue in
a blog post
. According to Upton, the price of LPDDR4 DRAM -- the type of RAM used in the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 -- has risen sevenfold over the past year, and this has necessitated a price bump. These price hikes translate to an additional $25 for every 4GB of RAM required by a Raspberry Pi board.
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Here's how this plays out:
The
4GB Raspberry Pi 5
now costs $25 more than before.
The
16GB Raspberry Pi 5
has seen a $100 price increase.
The
Raspberry Pi 500+
gets a staggering $150 price bump.
Accessories like the
AI+ HAT
board and Compute Modules have also become more expensive.
For context, a
16GB Raspberry Pi 5
now costs $305. Comp

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Eben Upton, founder and CEO of Raspberry Pi, recently addressed the issue in a blog post .
- This isn't just a Raspberry Pi problem As AI data centers continue to expand, the scarcity -- and astronomical cost -- of essential components like RAM are likely to persist.

### Implications
- When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
- When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions.
- This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay.
- If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers raspberry, ram, price topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1727.