The Raspberry Pi CM0 system-on-module is now available on AliExpress for $33 and up from various resellers, many of which claim to have several thousand in stock.
The Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero was introduced last year with a Raspberry Pi RP3A0 SiP with 512MB RAM, optional 8GB or 16GB eMMC flash, optional WiFi and Bluetooth, and castellated I/Os, or basically a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W in Compute Module form factor. There’s just one little issue: it’s only officially sold in China, and the only way to get one is to get a development board like the Makerfabs CM0IQ or a complete product such as the ED-AIC1000 smart camera or ED-IPC1100 industrial box PC.
Raspberry Pi CM0 specifications:
SiP – Raspberry Pi RP3A0
SoC – Broadcom BCM2710A1
CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.0 GHz
GPU – VideoCore IV GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 graphics
VPU – H.264/MPEG-4 1080p30 video decoding, H.264 1080p30 video encoding
System Memory – 512MB LPDDR2 RAM
Storage – 0GB (Raspberry Pi CM0 Lite), 8GB, or 16GB eMMC flash
Wireless – Optional 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4, Bluetooth 4.2 LE (same module as on Pi Zero 2 W) with u.FL antenna connector
132 castellated holes
Storage – SDIO (Compute Module Zero Lite only)
Display – HDMI, TV DAC, 4-lane MIPI DSI, parallel display interface (DPI)
Camera – 4-lane MIPI CSI
Audio – PCM
USB – 1x USB 2.0
Up to 28x GPIOs
UART, SPI, 2x I2C
Supply Voltage – 5V DC
Dimensions – 39 x 33 mm
Temperature Range – −20°C to +85°C
MTBF
Ground, benign – 374,000 hours
Ground, mobile – 32,000 hours
The Raspberry Pi CM0 was supposed to start at $18 in China last year. That price is probably without wireless and flash. The 8GB flash model sells for $33.4 / $35.21 (with wireless module), and the 16GB flash variant goes for $53.47 / $57.73 on AliExpress, and each store claims to have 3,000 pieces in stock for each variant (except 16GB + wireless). The shops were opened in 2024 and have acceptable ratings.
While it’s nice to have the option, AliExpress is an unofficial channel, and based on the CM0 product page, the only official reseller in China is EDATEC (industrial customers), and it’s still not sold in the rest of the world. So you may not be able to get support/warranty if you plan on doing your own CM0 product/project outside of China.