Sony’s memory cards have become the latest casualty in the ongoing worldwide shortage of memory chips. The company has announced that it is suspending sales of its CFexpress memory cards and SD memory cards.
What has Sony announced?
Sony made the announcement on its Japanese website. The post was headed “Notice Regarding the Temporary Suspension of Orders for Digital Imaging Products.” It goes on to state “Thank you very much for your continued support of Sony products. CFexpress memory cards and SD memory cards are expected to continue to be in supply due to the impact of global semiconductor (memory) shortages and other factors, and the availability of orders from distributors to our customers and from Sony Stores will be suspended for the time being.”
What products are affected?
Sony has published an extensive list of cards affected by the suspension in sales. It includes the company’s Tough CFexpress Type A memory card with capacities 1920 GB, 960 GB, 480 GB and 240 GB. Sony’s Tough CFexpress Type B 480 GB and 240 GB are also now off sale.
In addition, almost all of the company’s SDXC/SDHC memory cards are no longer available. The ranges now off sale include Sony’s Tough SD cards in both V90 and V60 speeds, as well as its regular SF-E V60 and SF-M Class 10 SD cards.
Why has Sony done this?
If you have tried to buy computer memory or an SSD over the last few months you will have noticed they have dramatically increased in price. Some products have more than doubled in cost. The reason for these rises are a worldwide memory chip shortage caused by the growth in AI. Most of the world’s RAM is made by three companies: Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology. These companies have concentrated on manufacturing the newer and more profitable high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers. As a result, production of traditional DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and flash memory for consumer electronics has reduced dramatically.
What next?
Sony has said that the suspension of sales of its memory cards is a temporary measure. However, it hasn’t given any projected timeline for when products might be back in stock. The notice on Sony’s website simply states, “Regarding the resumption of order acceptance, we will consider it while watching the supply situation, and separately guide it on the product information page.”
However, things aren’t going to get better any time soon. It seems that SK Hynix, and Micron Technology have already sold out of high bandwidth memory chips until 2027.
What we think
Much of the hullabaloo around AI has focused on potential copyright issues or the future impact on human jobs. However, the worldwide memory shortage is hitting consumers hard. It’s increasingly difficult to find products in stock. Crucial has stopped making all of its memory and SSD products for consumers. Even if you can find products to buy, they will be much more expensive than last year. Unfortunately, the predictions are that things are going to get worse before they get better. If you need new memory cards for your camera, it might be worth buying sooner rather than later.
