Sony Semiconductor Solutions has announced a strategic investment in Raspberry Pi with the goal of bringing its AI technology to a wider audience. The collaboration aims to offer Raspberry Pi users worldwide a development platform for Sony’s Aitrios edge computing (on-chip) AI platform, which is utilized for image-sensing functions such as facial recognition.
Terushi Shimizu, president and CEO of Sony Semiconductor Solutions, said, “We are very pleased to be partnering with Raspberry Pi Ltd. to bring our Aitrios platform — which supports the development of unique and diverse solutions utilizing our edge AI devices — to the Raspberry Pi user and developer community, and provide a unique development experience.”
Raspberry Pi 4 and other devices from the company deliver PC-like power in a compact form factor. Initially designed as an educational platform for teaching robotics, coding, and more, Raspberry Pi has become popular for coders to prototype IoT (Internet of Things) and other devices.
Integrating Sony’s Aitrios platform could enhance Raspberry Pi’s capabilities even further. Unlike cloud AI, Aitrios runs directly on chips (edge computing) to minimize latency. Sony has promoted the system for applications such as surveillance, security, and more. On a dedicated website, the company cites examples such as inventory monitoring and retention, customer counting, license plate recognition, and “detailed employee analysis.” Sony maintains that it preserves privacy by analyzing data strictly on-chip and only sending metadata to the cloud.
Raspberry Pi already considers Sony a “longstanding and valued strategic partner.” In the past, Sony has supplied imaging chips with autofocus capability and supported Raspberry Pi in ramping up its UK manufacturing facility during the company’s early stages.