Raspberry Pi is looking to expand, and it has announced that it will be offering businesses custom-made and mass-produced micro-computers.

The Raspberry Pi itself was first released back in 2012 and offers customers a low-cost microcomputer that can be hacked and tinkered with to create all kinds of projects and inventions. Since 2012, the company has managed to sell a whopping seven million units of its computer, which is perhaps why it's now in a place to expand.

Eben Upton, the inventor of the Raspberry Pi, says that he envisions small businesses using customized versions of the device for things like media players and hubs for home automation systems. This option is likely not of interest to larger companies such as Microsoft, however, the company hopes that smaller businesses that might be looking to crowdfund their products through Kickstarter or Indiegogo will turn to Raspberry Pi for the basis of their products.

The customization itself will allow customers to add or remove connection ports, making the device better for certain purposes. These customization services are being launched in partnership with a company called Element 14, which has also handled the distribution of the Raspberry Pi since it first launched. Element 14, through two recent acquisitions of engineering firms AVID and Embest, will be manufacturing the customized computers.

While nothing is stopping individuals from customizing their own Raspberry Pi board, the costs associated with design and configuration make it much more useful for companies that want the device to be mass-produced. Not only that, but as Element 14's Richard Curtin explains, larger businesses looking to use the device as the base for their product, to be mass-produced, are the first priority.

Via: Cnet