Raspberry Pi teams up with Sony for its new AI camera module

Raspberry Pi has teamed up with Sony to bring a new AI camera for the Pi single-board computers. As the company says, this module comes with onboard processing capabilities, making it easier for "edge AI solutions" built with the SBCs to handle visual data.

This is also the first AI-powered camera module that Raspberry Pi has officially released for its tiny computers. As for the module itself, it features the Sony IMX500 Intelligent Vision Sensor. This image sensor sports a 12.3 MP resolution and is paired with the RP2040 microcontroller.

With the neural network accelerator of the IMX500, this combination eliminates the need for a GPU to process visual data. Regarding capture abilities, the AI camera module can record footage at 4056x3040 pixels at 10 FPS or 2028x1520 pixels at 40 FPS.

There's the option for manual focus, and the field of view is at 76 degrees. Integrating it into Raspberry Pi projects should be easy as the AI camera module measures 25x24x11.9 mm, which is the same as the Camera Module 3 the company launched last year.

Pricing-wise, the AI camera module costs $70, which is relatively expensive compared to the Camera Module 3. However, the onboard AI processing could make this price tag worth it for the setups that require it. It is compatible with all the Raspberry Pi SBCs (Pi 5 starter kit available on Amazon).