Shares in Raspberry Pi surged as much as 25% in early trading on Friday after the Cambridge-based firm raised its profit expectations, driven by a boom in demand for its low-cost computers in the AI sector.
The company said it expected to deliver adjusted earnings of at least $38m (£28.2m) for the first half of 2026, lifting its market value to around £2bn. The credit card-sized devices, popular with hobbyist programmers, are increasingly being used to create AI-powered gadgets, offering a cheaper alternative to specialised hardware.
“Raspberry Pi expects $38m first-half profit as AI demand boosts sales.”
Raspberry Pi's recent strong performance reflects “robust demand for its products”, the firm said, with more than four million unit sales expected for the half-year. The group added that it is on track for earnings to be “significantly ahead of current market expectations” for the full 2026 year.
The value of its stock has more than tripled since the start of 2025, according to the company. Enthusiasts have begun using the machines to host AI assistants such as OpenClaw, fuelling demand.
However, the surge in popularity has not been without costs. Raspberry Pi has raised prices several times for many of its products over the past few months after a global shortage of memory chips — driven in part by demand from AI data centres — pushed up component costs.
Despite the price hikes, the company’s devices remain the most widely sold computers by a UK firm, and the latest profit upgrade signals that the AI boom shows no sign of slowing for the Cambridge manufacturer.