Sony freezes memory card orders as global chip shortage hits photography
Sony has become the first major photography brand to pull back from the market amid the global solid-state memory shortage, suspending orders across almost its entire SD and CFexpress card lineup.
In a notice published by Sony in Japan, the company confirmed it will stop accepting new orders from dealers and customers from March 27, 2026, as supply struggles to keep pace with demand.
“Due to the global shortage of semiconductors (memory) and other factors, it is anticipated that supply will not be able to meet demand for CFexpress memory cards and SD memory cards for the foreseeable future,” the company said. “Therefore, we have decided to temporarily suspend the acceptance of orders.”
The suspension is sweeping. It covers CFexpress Type A and Type B cards across multiple capacities, as well as the full range of Sony SD cards, from high-performance TOUGH models down to entry-level V30 options. The breadth of the pause highlights the depth of the supply issue, affecting not just premium products but the entire category.
Sony says it will reassess the situation as conditions evolve, but has not indicated when orders might resume.
“Regarding the resumption of order acceptance, we will consider it while monitoring the supply situation and will announce it separately,” the company added, before concluding: “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers.”
For now, existing retail stock remains available in some markets, but with production effectively on hold, shelves are unlikely to be restocked once inventory runs dry.
As we covered a few weeks back, the shortage itself is being driven by intense global demand for memory chips, particularly from the rapid expansion of AI data centres.
With supply finite and increasingly absorbed by enterprise-scale computing, manufacturers are being forced to make tough decisions about which products they can continue to support - and it's expected to continue to be a problem into the future.