Linux maker board market survives chip shortage, adds 29 new SBCs in
In this intro to our catalog of 136 Linux hacker boards, we examine how the 2021 chip shortage led to higher prices, limited availability, and more than twice the usual number of discontinuations. Yet, 29 models launched in 2021, including SBCs with M.2 slots, RISC-V CPUs, and AI chips.
Welcome to our 2022 edition of our roundup of maker boards selling for $200 or under that run Linux or Android. The Catalog link in the box below leads to 136 new or updated SBC summaries, and the spreadsheet links offer quick feature comparisons.
Almost all the boards here are “open spec” — supplying hardware schematics and other open resources — and/or community backed, with maker-friendly features like open source OS image downloads, forums, and tutorials. The majority offer both open specs and community. (See our criteria sidebar for more details.)
Throughout 2021, we knew the chip shortage was leading to higher SBC prices, reduced availability, an increase in product retirements, and launches that were delayed even more than usual. Yet, the full impact was only revealed when we checked prices and updated items between Dec. 13 to Jan. 7. More than one in four SBC models in our Jan. 2021 catalog are no longer available.
The boards that are available are often a lot more expensive. After years of decreases, SBC prices began to rise over the last two years, and in 2021 they took a sharp turn upward. We have yet to run a detailed analysis, but 10-30 percent increases have been typical, and some boards have more than doubled in price.
The price boosts may not be a deal-breaker with a $30 board but are far more significant in the over $100 range. (You can do your own price analysis by comparing our feature spreadsheet in the box below with last year’s chart. )
The price jumps can be tied directly to severe shortages in processing cores, RAM, and other components. More recently, this has been exacerbated by general inflation, which has similarly been driven largely by pandemic-related supply chain problems.
The shortages and chip price increases are not universal for all parts, and some manufacturers did a better job of maintaining larger stocks than others. Also note that many of the steeper increases are for boards that are on the way out, in which case the vendor is selling off stock and unwilling to sacrifice profits in a bid for market share. Yet relatively few boards are priced the same as last year, and only a few are cheaper.
 Raspberry Pi 4 |
Even market leader Raspberry Pi, which has long been famous for maintaining low and consistent prices, reversed some of its price cuts in October. Yet, its price increases are lower than among its competitors and most of the SKUs have remained the same.
The chief problem bedeviling the Pi is supply. Yet despite reports claiming you won’t be able to buy an Rasperry Pi 4 until 2023, we found the RPi 4 and almost all the Pi models in stock,…
Read More: Linux maker board market survives chip shortage, adds 29 new SBCs in