Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S revealed to combat the global chip shortage

It seems that the Raspberry Pi Foundation is on the verge of announcing a new Compute Module, 18 months after debuting the Compute Module 4 and Compute Module 4 Lite. While the CM4 series adopted a new 55 x 40 mm form factor, it seems that the Raspberry Pi Foundation has returned to the SO-DIMM one (68 x 31 x 4.7 mm) for the new edition.

As the screenshot below from Revolution Pi shows, the Compute Module 4S eschews the Broadcom BCM2837B0 in the Compute Module 3+ for the Broadcom BCM2711 from the CM4 and CM4 Lite. Accordingly, the Compute Module 4S has four ARM Cortex-A73 CPU cores clocked at 1.5 GHz plus a VideoCore VI GPU running at 500 MHz.

However, the Compute Module 4S will only come with 1 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, at least initially. Like the CM4, the Compute Module 4S will also have up to 32 GB of eMMC flash storage. The return to the SO-DIMM form factor means the removal of Gigabit Ethernet and PCIe connectivity. Similarly, the Compute Module 4S has a single HDMI 2.0a, not dual HDMI like the CM4.

On its website, Revolution Pi explains that the ongoing chip shortage forced the Raspberry Pi Foundation to offer a 'special alternative' to the Compute Module 3+. It remains to be seen when or if the Compute Module 4S will be orderable on its own. In saying that, we imagine it would cost less than the CM4, which retails for US$25.

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