Sony has slammed the brakes on most of its memory card business because there is not enough flash.
The firm says it is suspending fulfilment of almost all orders across its SD and CFexpress lines, blaming a global semiconductor memory shortage and other factors.
Sony Japan posted a notice on 27 March 2026 stating that, due to the global shortage of semiconductors (memory) and other factors, supply is expected to be unable to meet demand for CFexpress and SD memory cards in the foreseeable future.
“We have decided to temporarily suspend the acceptance of orders from our authorised dealers and from customers at the Sony Store from March 27, 2026, onwards. Regarding the resumption of order acceptance, we will consider it while monitoring the supply situation and will announce it separately on the product information page.”
The freeze covers CFexpress Type A, CFexpress Type B and SD cards, which is a fancy way of saying camera owners get to play stock-check roulette.
Sony has stopped taking orders for CFexpress Type A at 240GB, 480GB, 960GB and 1920GB, plus Type B at 240GB and 480GB. Its high-end SD range is on ice too, from 64GB and 128GB TOUGH cards through 256GB, then the plainer 512GB, 256GB and 128GB lines that top out at V60 speeds.
Even the budget V30 64GB and 128GB SD cards have been pulled, which is a nice reminder that shortages do not just pick on premium kit.
It looks like only the 960GB CFexpress Type B card and the bottom-shelf SF-UZ UHS-I SD cards are still being made, and those UHS-I cards are already disappearing in the US outside a few resellers.
Sony did at least manage an apology before shutting the door. “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our customers.”
The company says it plans to restart order acceptance when supply improves, but it offered no timeline and no comfort for anyone with shoots booked and empty card wallets.
Retailers are still sitting on stock for now, including B&H Photo in the US, but once that pile is gone, the shelves will stay bare until production spins up again.
The flash crunch is being driven by AI data centres inhaling memory, pushing up component costs as the supply of dies gets swallowed by enterprise buyers.
Sony has decided to step away from making cards until the market settles, and the rest of the camera industry is watching to see who blinks next.
