Raspberry Pi Raises Profit Expectations Amid Strong AI-Driven Demand

Raspberry Pi has increased its profit expectations due to strong demand for the small computers amid rapid growth in the AI sector. The Cambridge-based firm said it expected to deliver adjusted earnings of at least $38m (£28.2m) for the first half of 2026. The update sent shares in the company up by as much as 25% in early trading on Friday, lifting its market value to around £2bn. The credit card-sized computers are increasingly being used to create AI-powered devices, offering a cheaper alternative to more specialised hardware. The company said it has seen the value of its stock more than triple since the start of the year. The group said recent strong performance reflected "robust demand for its products", with more than four million in unit sales expected for the half-year. It said it is therefore on track for earnings to be "significantly ahead of current market expectations" for 2026 as a whole. Raspberry Pi's devices are the most widely sold computers by a UK firm and are popular with people who programme as a hobby. More recently, some enthusiasts have begun using the low-cost machines to host AI assistants such as OpenClaw. The company has also 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.