Microcomputer developer Raspberry Pi plans to add artificial intelligence to its latest motherboard models, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced on Tuesday.
Developed in collaboration with artificial intelligence processor developer Hailo, the Raspberry Pi AI Kit is being offered as an upgrade for the Raspberry Pi 5, and will retail for $70, according to the UK-based charity. The new AI upgrade enables the tiny, affordable computer to run AI models such as chatbots, object recognition, and pose detection, as long as a camera is connected.
“If you've ever wanted to explore the world of neural networks, artificial intelligence, and machine learning with the Raspberry Pi 5, we've got you covered,” wrote Naushir Patuck, senior principal engineer at Raspberry Pi.
According to Raspberry Pi, the AI ​​Kit comes pre-assembled with the Hailo-8L “entry-level” AI accelerator module, designed to support products with limited AI capacity or lower performance.
Small, affordable and modular, the Raspberry Pi hardware has fostered a large DIY community, using the credit-card-sized computer to power everything from mini media centers to Bitcoin nodes. Raspberry Pi is a popular tool for teaching kids how to build and program computers and do other projects.
Image: Raspberry Pi
According to the Raspberry Pi documentation, the AI ​​Kit connects to the Raspberry Pi 5 motherboard using an M.2 HAT+ adapter, allowing the AI ​​Kit to run independently from the Raspberry Pi motherboard.
The Raspberry Pi motherboard uses Raspberry Pi OS, a Unix-based operating system, but this needs to be configured to take advantage of the AI ​​add-ons.
“If the host Raspberry Pi 5 is running the latest Raspberry Pi OS image, it will automatically detect the Hailo module and [Neural Processing Unit]”It can be used for AI computing tasks,” Raspberry Pi writes.
Once installed, Raspberry Pi users will have access to Hailo's “Model Zoo,” which features a library of pre-trained AI models.
Founded in 2017, Tel Aviv-based Hailo develops AI hardware, accelerators and systems used in self-driving cars and generative AI models. In April, Hailo announced the closing of a $120 million funding round, coinciding with the release of its latest AI accelerator, Hailo-10.
“We are excited to support Raspberry Pi and empower its vibrant community of professional engineers and creative creators with cutting-edge AI capabilities,” said Oh Danon, CEO and co-founder of Hailo, in a separate statement. “Our partnership with the world's leading single-board computer provider will inspire a new era of computing powered by our high-performance AI processing capabilities.”
The Raspberry Pi Foundation and Hilo did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Decrypt.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.