Sony announced a temporary halt to memory card sales worldwide on March 10th, 2026. The company cited severe supply chain constraints that’ve impacted production across multiple facilities. Photographers, videographers, and content creators who rely on Sony’s storage solutions for professional work are feeling the pinch.

Why Sony Halted Production

It’s a perfect storm. Manufacturing disruptions and raw material bottlenecks have collided at the worst possible time. Sony runs production facilities in Japan and Thailand, and both have hit capacity limits since early 2026.

The real culprit? NAND flash memory shortages—the essential technology behind SD and CFexpress cards. As The Verge reported, this shortage cascades through the entire industry. Sony’s strategy is straightforward: fulfill existing orders first, then stop accepting new ones to prevent the backlog from getting worse.

Impact on Creators and Professionals

Professional photographers and video production teams are in a tough spot right now. They need Sony’s UHS-II SD cards and CFexpress Type B cards, which hit speeds up to 312 MB/s for 4K and 8K video capture.

If you’re shooting with a Sony A7R V or FX30 camera, finding replacement cards is nearly impossible. Independent filmmakers and sports photographers—the ones who burn through high-capacity storage during shoots—are struggling to find inventory anywhere. Major retailers are empty. This shortage ripples through the entire professional media production world.

Supply Chain Breakdown Explained

Here’s what’s happening: NAND flash production is concentrated in South Korea and Taiwan. Geopolitical pressures and energy constraints have squeezed output. Sony can’t make memory cards faster than suppliers deliver components.

Worth noting—this isn’t just Sony’s problem. SanDisk and Kingston face the same constraints, which tells you how widespread this really is. Prices are climbing and delivery times are stretching. Don’t expect things to stabilize until Q3 2026.

Industry Reaction to the Shortage

Retailers are rationing what little they have. Third-party sellers are marking up prices by 25–40% above MSRP. Professional photography associations have pushed Sony for clearer communication about when things’ll get back to normal.

Meanwhile, competitors are picking up customers looking for alternatives. Brands with better availability are winning market share right now.

When Production Resumes

Sony hasn’t given us an exact date. Industry analysts expect gradual production restart by mid-2026. The memory card shortage should ease once NAND flash supply stabilizes.

If you need cards immediately, grab them now. Prices are high, but they’re available. If you can wait until Q3 2026, you’ll see prices drop as production ramps back up. This shortage shows how fragile concentrated supply chains really are.