Raspberry Pi unveils the Pico 2 for just $5

Priced at just $5, the Pico 2 is built around the new RP2350 microcontroller, a high-performance, secure chip designed in-house by Raspberry Pi. This new board introduces several key enhancements over its predecessor, while maintaining compatibility with earlier Pico models, making it an attractive option for both existing users and newcomers.

Introducing the RP2350: the heart of Pico 2

At the core of the Pico 2 is the RP2350 microcontroller, an evolution of the highly successful RP2040 that powered the original Pico. The RP2350 features two 150MHz Arm Cortex-M33 cores, offering enhanced performance with floating point and DSP support. The chip also boasts 520KB of on-chip SRAM spread across ten concurrently accessible banks, significantly boosting memory capacity and data handling capabilities.

Security has been a major focus in the development of the RP2350. It includes a comprehensive security architecture built around Arm TrustZone for Cortex-M, as well as features like signed boot support, SHA-256 acceleration, a true random number generator (TRNG), and 8KB of antifuse one-time-programmable (OTP) memory. These enhancements make the Pico 2 suitable for more sensitive applications where security is paramount.

In addition to its robust processing power, the RP2350 introduces new interfacing capabilities, such as twelve upgraded Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines and a new HSTX peripheral for high-speed data transmission. The board also supports external QSPI PSRAM, further extending its memory options for complex applications.

Hardware and software compatibility

Despite its numerous upgrades, the Pico 2 remains form-factor and electrically compatible with the original Pico, ensuring a seamless transition for existing users. The new board pairs the RP2350A with 4MB of external QSPI flash, doubling the storage available on the original Pico. This additional memory allows for more extensive and sophisticated projects.

Raspberry Pi has also ensured that the Pico 2 is supported by an updated software ecosystem. The launch is accompanied by a refreshed Pico SDK, as well as new MicroPython and CircuitPython images. Additionally, the Raspberry Pi team has been collaborating with the Trusted Firmware project to establish RP2350 as the reference hardware platform for the Trusted Firmware-M 2.1.0 Long Term Support release. This provides developers with an easy path to secure their devices against common attacks.

Affordable innovation: pricing and availability

In keeping with Raspberry Pi’s commitment to affordability, the RP2350 microcontroller is priced competitively, with the RP2350A costing just $0.80 in 3,400-unit reels, or $1.10 for single-unit quantities. The RP2350B, which offers additional GPIOs, and the RP2354 variants with stacked-in-package QSPI flash, are only slightly more expensive, providing excellent value for the advanced features they bring.

The Pico 2 is already in full-rate production, and while initial stock may be limited, Raspberry Pi is working closely with its manufacturing partner, Sony, to ensure steady availability. Many Approved Reseller partners are offering backorder and reservation schemes, and regular shipments are expected in the coming weeks.

Raspberry Pi also plans to release a wireless-enabled version of the Pico 2, known as Pico 2 W, before the end of the year. This variant will use the same Infineon 43439 modem as the Pico W and will also be available with pre-installed 0.1-inch headers, further expanding the board’s versatility.

RISC-V support: a new frontier for Raspberry Pi

One of the most exciting features of the Pico 2 is the inclusion of RISC-V support, made possible by a pair of open-hardware Hazard3 RISC-V cores integrated into the RP2350. These cores, developed by Luke Wren, a Principal Engineer at Raspberry Pi, can be substituted at boot time for the Cortex-M33 cores. The boot ROM can automatically detect the architecture for which a second-stage binary has been built, allowing the chip to reboot into the appropriate mode.

This feature opens the door for developers to experiment with the RISC-V architecture in a stable, well-supported environment, potentially popularising the Hazard3 core as a versatile, open-source option for other devices. Most features of the chip are available in RISC-V mode, with only a few exceptions related to security features and the double-precision floating-point accelerator.

Security and community engagement

Security is a cornerstone of the RP2350’s design, particularly with its signed boot process that ensures only authorised code can be executed. Raspberry Pi has gone a step further by commissioning security audits and offering a $10,000 bounty for the first confirmed break of the signed boot process, demonstrating their commitment to creating a secure platform.

To encourage the community’s involvement, Raspberry Pi has partnered with the DEF CON hacking convention, providing RP2350-powered badges that offer a platform for experimenting with the new security architecture.

For more information on the Pico 2 and to get started with your projects, visit the Raspberry Pi website, where you can also access a comprehensive datasheet, tutorials, and the latest updates on software support.