Rugged industrial SBCs simplify move from prototype to production
21 August 2026 
Single-board computers (SBCs) are poised to play a major role in the future of automation, edge computing and AI, argues Shawn Luke, technical marketing engineer at DigiKey.
There’s nothing worse than a downed production line. It costs everyone time and money. In the US, for example, manufacturers lose an average of $260,000 per hour when their operations stop unexpectedly.
To safeguard against these lost costs, the reliability of single-board computers (SBCs) has become increasingly sought after. These devices house all of the essential elements of a computer in a single board, combining processing power and connectivity into a compact footprint ideal for demanding industrial conditions.
With the growth of industrial automation and edge computing, the use of SBCs is skyrocketing. Industrial SBCs provide flexible and scalable platforms for many applications, including soft PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and machine vision systems.
The use of SBCs extends well beyond the factory. They are also often used in embedded and edge computing systems such as medical devices, power grid monitoring, rail systems and other applications where reliability is essential. In addition, we’re seeing them in more futuristic applications such as drones, space and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems.
One of the biggest advantages of industrial SBCs is that they can operate in environments that can be challenging for conventional electronics. Their resilience makes them an ideal choice for harsh industrial environments where temperature, humidity and dust could threaten electronics’ ability to perform. To withstand these conditions, they are designed with features that prioritise reliability. For example, with fewer parts, they are less susceptible to failure if a component breaks. SBCs are also more adept at handling power fluctuations and are designed for continuous operation.
As edge computing grows, so does the demand for these attributes, which enable applications to process information in real time, leading to faster decision-making and efficiency.
Real-world design challenges
While SBCs offer several advantages, a challenge engineers can face is transitioning an SBC from a prototype to a deployed system. When bringing SBCs into large applications such as edge AI, there can be a variety of limiting factors, including memory, thermal footprint and cost.
There is a need for computing to be closer to the point of data collection to handle time-sensitive workloads. These include machine vision for quality assurance, and predictive maintenance with AI-driven analytics that deliver actionable insights rather than just raw data. To accommodate these needs, engineers need processors to balance computing power, connectivity and energy efficiency.
“As edge workloads become more demanding, memory has become an important consideration,” says Dave Lee, senior sales executive at Raspberry Pi. “Right now, we are experiencing a historic shortage of memory and RAM in the market, largely because cloud providers are utilising high levels of memory bandwidth.”
For SBCs, where data moves from the CPU to auxiliary and peripheral devices, memory can be further stressed in intensive edge applications. In response, Raspberry Pi has widespread multi-sourcing on DRAM and on-storage memory. One approach, called clamshell, involves placing two DRAMs on a board instead of one. For example, for those who need hard-to-find 4GB memory, Raspberry Pi allows them to put two 2GB on the board instead.
Power reliability is another issue in industrial environments, where disruption can lead to corrupted data, damaged storage and costly downtime. The Raspberry Pi supplier Edatec addresses these challenges through beyond-the-spec component selection, which determines how much electromagnetic interference the SBC can sustain, how much electrostatic discharge it can withstand, and whether the system uses opto-isolation or capacitive isolation. For example, with 24V IO, it uses 80V-rated components – above and beyond what is needed – ensuring higher reliability. Edatec also offers power-loss mitigations, such as supercapacitor backups, that allow operators to shut down their systems gracefully without contaminating memory or long-term non-volatile storage.
Environmental durability is also a top priority. The single-board computing manufacturer Gateworks has designed ruggedised power supplies that can withstand extreme industrial conditions, where the device might not be connected to a power supply, or may lack thermal management such as a fan. These supplies can thrive in any environment, from mining, where heavy equipment can produce intense vibrations, to factories in hazardous or extreme temperature locations, and even in space.
These examples highlight the broader industry demand to move away from focusing solely on processing power in industrial computers, and instead to define success by the ability to perform consistently in the most rugged conditions.
Next-generation edge computing
SBCs represent the future of industrial systems, and as a result, could help this sector to become more competitive in the next few years. In such an environment, collaboration across the technology ecosystem will become increasingly important. No single supplier can address all of the demands of edge computing. Rather, success will depend on processor manufacturers, board designers, systems integrators, software developers and distribution partners working together to accelerate innovation.
This type of collaboration can help bring products to market quicker. Already, we’ve seen people who have previously used conventional systems considering converting to SBCs because they offer faster prototyping and scaling, more flexibility and a wide range of cost levels. By using proven hardware, engineers can cut development times by up to six months, while retaining the freedom to customise systems for specific applications.
Industrial SBCs are poised to play a major role in the future of automation, edge computing and AI. With significant advantages in reliability, performance and flexibility, we can expect them to continue to be integrated in a wide variety of applications.
DigiKey is playing a central role in this collaborative ecosystem by connecting customers with the technologies, suppliers and resources they need. Whether engineers are evaluating processors from NXP, prototyping with boards from Raspberry Pi, or deploying industrial-ready systems from Gateworks and Edatec, DigiKey offers access to both the components and finished systems. By bringing together the ecosystem of SBC suppliers, it can help engineers move from prototype to production, while navigating the complexities of modern industrial system design.
