OpenClaw ignites "demand for cheap hosting," causing this UK computer manufacturer’s stock price to nearly double in three days

Benefiting from the demand for “affordable hosts” driven by AI tools like OpenClaw running locally on devices, UK low-cost computer manufacturer Raspberry Pi has become a hot topic among retail investors this week. As of Wednesday, its stock price nearly doubled over three trading days, pushing the company’s market capitalization to over £1 billion for the first time since its IPO in May last year.

This market frenzy is mainly fueled by expectations of hardware demand for local deployment of AI agents. OpenClaw, a recently popular AI application, is hailed as the first successful “AI agent” case that can run locally on personal computers, performing tasks such as composing emails and replying to instant messages.

Its founder, Peter Steinberger, was recruited by OpenAI last weekend, further igniting market sentiment. Discussions on social media show that enthusiasts are actively seeking to use low-cost hardware like Raspberry Pi as physical platforms to run OpenClaw.

However, this social media-driven “meme stock” rally sharply reversed on Wednesday afternoon. By the close, the company’s stock price retraced some gains, and its market cap fell back to just above £800 million.

Despite this, the stock’s volatility has sparked deeper market attention to the broader implications of AI technology. Some investors are beginning to worry that, as AI agents mature, they could disrupt white-collar jobs in industries such as business software, wealth management, and logistics.

Low-cost hardware becomes a new option for local AI deployment

An analyst pointed out that the core appeal of running OpenClaw on Raspberry Pi is that users can access “sufficiently good” functionality at “near-zero incremental cost.” Peel Hunt analyst Damindu Jayaweera wrote in a report to clients this week that this model also offers the key advantage of “owning computing resources rather than renting from the cloud.”

OpenClaw was initially released last November under the name Clawdbot. Unlike chatbots like ChatGPT that primarily run in the cloud, OpenClaw is a local AI agent tool that can operate on personal computers. Many early adopters experimented with Apple Mac computers, but such devices typically cost at least $600 in the US.

The software can be easily installed on Raspberry Pi devices priced as low as $100. Besides significantly reducing hardware costs, local deployment also offers additional security benefits, avoiding the risk of personal data exposure that could occur if OpenClaw is installed on users’ main computers, thus better controlling potential cybersecurity issues.

Social media comments further boosted market enthusiasm. On Monday, the stock analysis account Serenity posted a widely circulated message on X:

“Rumor has it that Silicon Valley startups and individuals are buying dozens or even hundreds of these devices to run and deploy OpenClaw agents in parallel.”

Retail investors and meme narratives dance together

Ivan Ćosović, founder of data provider Breakout Point, noted that this stock price movement of Raspberry Pi exhibits typical “meme story” features: a striking social media post, a seemingly undervalued stock price, and a large number of short positions framing it as the opposite.

Retail investor inflows are the main driver of this rally. Data from investment platform Interactive Investor shows that on Tuesday, the number of users buying this stock more than doubled the average daily volume over the past 30 days. Another platform, AJ Bell, said that just on Monday and Tuesday, trading volume was more than twice the total of the previous week, though the absolute scale remains relatively small.

In response to market speculation, Raspberry Pi responded that OpenClaw is just one example of AI migrating from the cloud to devices, and that interest in running models directly on low-cost hardware is growing as an alternative to fully relying on large cloud systems.

Peel Hunt analyst Damindu Jayaweera interpreted industry-wide, stating that for investors, OpenClaw signifies more than just a single tool — it’s evidence of a broader industry shift. As AI models and agents become more efficient, inference workloads are shifting from centralized cloud servers to low-cost distributed edge devices.

Memory shortage remains a long-term challenge

Raspberry Pi went public in London in June 2024, marking a rare IPO among London tech stocks that year. The stock reached nearly double its initial offering price early last year but has been sluggish until this week’s rebound. Market analysts believe that part of the previous price pressure was due to concerns over memory supply shortages and their impact, as the rapid rise in DRAM prices has increased costs for low-cost Raspberry Pi devices.

Last month, Raspberry Pi issued a warning that “the timing of recovery for DRAM prices and supply remains highly uncertain.” The company stated that while inventory was sufficient in the first half of this fiscal year, visibility beyond that period was limited.

Meanwhile, the emergence of OpenClaw has also spurred the AI agent social network Moltbook, which earlier this month attracted Silicon Valley attention and industry discussions involving figures like Elon Musk and AI researcher Andrej Karpathy. Similar to tools like Claude Cowork developed by Anthropic, OpenClaw is causing broader market volatility. Some investors are beginning to worry about the potential disruption of white-collar jobs by AI agents, which has already unsettled stock performance across multiple sectors.

Risk warning and disclaimer

Market risks exist; investments should be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not consider individual users’ specific investment goals, financial situations, or needs. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions herein are suitable for their particular circumstances. Invest at your own risk.