Sony has concluded that supply can no longer keep up with demand and has canceled orders for almost its entire lineup of memory cards (CFexpress Type A, Type B, and SD). The company posted a notice on its Japanese website on March 27, confirming that the suspension applies to both authorized retailers and Sony Store customers. No end date indicated. Sony said it will closely monitor the supply situation and will announce a resumption “separately on the product information page” if the situation improves.The list of affected products is extensive. All CFexpress Type A cards from 240GB to 1,920GB are gone. 240GB and 480GB Type B cards are now available. And Sony’s SD card lineup is nearly complete, from high-end models under the TOUGH brand to affordable V30-rated 64GB cards. Only 960GB CFexpress Type B and discontinued SF-UZ series SD cards are affected.
A.I. appetite of NAND flash Every other industry is starving.
The culprit is no mystery. AI data centers are heavily populated with NAND flash and DRAM, leaving little room for consumer products such as memory cards. TrendForce’s Q1 2026 forecast predicts DRAM contract prices to rise 90-95% sequentially, and NAND flash to rise 55-60%. Memory card prices have nearly tripled in recent months. Helium shortages due to the Iran war (helium is essential for chip production) may be exacerbating the problem.The fact that even Sony’s cheapest V30 SD card is subject to a freeze makes one thing clear. I mean, this is not a high-end supply issue. It is affecting every stage of NAND production.
First to stop, but unlikely to be the last
Sony was the first major company to not only increase prices, but also stop accepting orders for memory cards altogether. This announcement comes on the same day that Sony confirmed a price increase for the PS5 of up to $100 worldwide. Existing US retail inventory such as B&H is still available, but while supplies last. It will not be restocked until production resumes.
