Raspberry Pi- A Good Example of a Trickle Down Technology

Raspberry Pi has taken the computing world by storm. The single board computing device has reportedly sold more than four million boards. In more good news for embedded developers, the makers of the device have announced that Rasberry Pi 2 is ready for launch, which is even more advanced.

All this has come to us from advancements in mobile technology. This is a good example of the ‘trickle down effect’ in action. A cutting edge technology is initially developed for a high growth or critical application. Soon the costs of the technology come down, enabling it to enter the mainstream. Here is an example.

Thanks to the smart-phone revolution, multiple core processors that consume low power became a reality. They are now being produced in such large numbers that the technology trickled into other sectors like single board computing. We have many instances of such technologies in the past such as radar, minicomputers, Teflon, radar and now, smart-phone technology.

IoT is also an excellent example for the trickle down effect. It is made from a combination of processors, sensors, storage technology, connectivity devices, all of which have become cheaper. So thanks to the trickle down effect, a whole new market is on the verge of emerging.

The Rasberry Pi is not the only product that has benefited. There are more than 100 companies that have embraced such developments in semiconductor technology and are working hard to create better embedded boards.