Small‑computer firms win supply‑chain scramble

Raspberry Pi's reported 90% revenue jump, doubled backlog (2.6M units) and rising OEM adoption show that compact single‑board computer vendors can become strategic suppliers when larger OEMs face component shortages. At the same time, firmware/bootloader changes that restrict hardware upgrades illustrate a tradeoff: these firms gain industrial leverage while using software controls that can narrow repair and part‑market choices. — This signals a structural shift: a new class of small hardware vendors can capture industrial demand and influence repairability and sovereignty through firmware controls, with implications for supply‑chain policy, right‑to‑repair law, and national security procurement.