Pamir AI Launches the Lapis One Linux Computer

There is no shortage of tiny Linux computers these days. Raspberry Pi boards, mini PCs, and countless single-board computers can all serve as the foundation for everything from home servers to robotics projects. But while many focus on raw functionality, they rarely put much effort into designing a complete system. Pamir AI's new Lapis One is trying to fill that role, packaging a capable Debian Linux computer into a device that looks more like a premium consumer gadget than a development board.

Measuring just 85 x 85 mm and weighing 227 grams, the Lapis One is about the size of a drink coaster, but it packs a lot of hardware into that space. At its core is a Rockchip RK3576 processor with four Cortex-A72 cores, four Cortex-A53 cores, and an integrated 6 TOPS neural processing unit for accelerating local AI workloads. The system also includes 8 GB of LPDDR5 memory, 64 GB of onboard eMMC storage, plus expansion through both an M.2 2230 SSD slot and a microSD card.

One of the most noticeable features is the unusual built-in display. Instead of a traditional LCD, the Lapis One uses a 240 x 400 Sharp monochrome memory LCD similar to the display found in the Playdate handheld. The screen offers excellent visibility while consuming very little power, making it well suited for continuously displaying system information or the status of background tasks.

Four USB-C ports provide power delivery, DisplayPort output, USB 3.2 connectivity, and a dedicated KVM interface. A magnetic 12-pin GPIO connector opens the door to hardware projects using UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, and other peripherals, while Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, a fingerprint reader, dual MEMS microphones, an XMOS audio DSP, and a 3,300 mAh battery round out the feature list.

The computer ships with a Debian 13-based operating system called Lapis OS, complete with a Python SDK and support for the Nix package manager. Security features include LUKS2 disk encryption, TPM 2.0 hardware security, dm-verity protection, and signed A/B system updates that allow for rollbacks if something goes wrong during an upgrade.

Also of note is the built-in Agent KVM feature. By connecting the Lapis One to another computer over USB-C, it can emulate a keyboard and mouse while capturing that system's display. Combined with included Tailscale remote access, users can securely connect to the device from virtually anywhere and control another computer without installing any software on the target machine. Because the host simply sees a standard USB keyboard and mouse, the setup works even with systems that have no remote management software installed.

At the early bird pricing of $359, the Lapis One isn’t exactly cheap. However, considering that a high-end Raspberry Pi 5 board can sell for over $300 these days, it’s not unreasonable. If you can get in on this first batch, it may be worth picking one up. But at the full price of $599, you could probably do a lot better.