From what I remember with the launch of the Pi, I think the demand far exceeded their expectations. Remember that the thing was launched as an educational compu

From what I remember with the launch of the Pi, I think the demand far exceeded their expectations. Remember that the thing was launched as an educational computer for schools, with a model A and B variant. At least from this article [1] it sounds like they contracted the work to build the boards out to Premier Farnell/Element 14. They originally had to do a lot of the manufacturing in China to keep the board cost low. Eventually Sony stepped in and offered production capacity at a place in Wales UK which I think improved availability a lot. [1] https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/made-in-the-uk/ https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/made-in-the-uk/