The Raspberry Pi Foundation has introduced the M.2 HAT+ Compact, a smaller version of its original M.2 HAT+ designed for the Raspberry Pi 5. This new variant allows a 2230-format M.2 PCIe device, such as an NVMe SSD or AI accelerator, to fit neatly inside the official Raspberry Pi 5 case alongside the integrated cooling fan.

The HAT connects directly to the PCIe 2.0 interface on Raspberry Pi 5 through a flex-rigid PCB, eliminating the need for a separate ribbon cable.

According to Raspberry Pi, this design enables single-lane PCIe data transfers of up to 500 MB/s while supplying up to 3A of power to connected peripherals, with power and activity LEDs included and full compliance with the official HAT+ specification.

Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ Compact

The compact design supports only 2230-size M.2 devices with an M key edge connector, while users requiring longer formats such as 2242, 2260, or 2280 can turn to the larger M.2 HAT+ or other SSD expansion boards from Raspberry Pi and third-party vendors.

Compared to the original M.2 HAT+, which supported a wider range of SSD sizes but could not fit inside the official Raspberry Pi 5 case with the fan installed, the Compact version is intended specifically for use within the official case.

M.2 HAT+ Compact + Raspberry Pi 5

In addition to storage expansion, the Compact HAT can be paired with Raspberry Pi’s own 2230 NVMe SSDs or third-party PCIe devices such as accelerators. Raspberry Pi OS automatically detects connected NVMe drives, and with the latest firmware, users can boot directly from NVMe storage for faster system performance.

Further Information

According to distributor listings, the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ Compact is available now at £13.50 incl. VAT from The Pi Hut, $14.96 from Pimoroni, and $21.95 from PiShopUS. Additionally, Raspberry Pi has stated that the accessory will remain in production until at least January 2032.

The board includes spacers and screws for installation inside the official case, works with Raspberry Pi 5 and its passive cooling setup, but is not intended for use with the larger Active Cooler plus HAT combination.