March 30, 2026
No memory, all drama
Sony halts memory card shipments due to NAND shortage
AI eats the chips, your camera goes hungry — commenters roast, rant, and recycle
TLDR: Sony paused new orders for CFexpress and SD memory cards as AI data centers hog the same chips, with relief not expected until 2027–28. Commenters are split between joking about AI-generated vacations, predicting a second‑hand boom, and arguing over whether this is true scarcity or hype-fueled profiteering.
Sony just hit pause on orders for its pro camera cards — CFexpress (the fast ones for fancy cameras) and everyday SD cards — because the tiny storage chips inside them are being devoured by AI data centers. Translation: the robots are eating our memory, and photographers are stuck waiting until late 2027 or even 2028. The crowd? Absolutely buzzing. The top gag: one commenter deadpanned that this is great, because now you can “get AI to create all your memories and stay at home.” Cue the fake-vacation meme: “Do you remember Corfu ’36, darling?” “Let me just generate it.”
But it’s not all jokes. A practical camp predicts a boom in second‑hand gear and repair shops, while another camp is lighting torches at Big AI for hoarding chips and pushing consumers aside. One user staged a mini wake for Sony’s old Memory Stick — “a moment’s silence… okay, done” — while a skeptic argued that big AI firms have already canceled some orders, hinting the shortage panic could flip into a glut. Others blame corporate greed and even government policy, turning a chip shortage into a full‑blown conspiracy thread. Meanwhile, veterans point out this isn’t a one‑off: Micron already ditched consumer SSDs to chase data centers, and industry execs warned this squeeze was coming. Drama level: max.
Key Points
- •Sony has paused accepting orders for CFexpress Type A/B and SDXC/SDHC memory cards due to a severe NAND flash shortage.
- •The shortage stems from surging AI data center demand, which prioritizes TLC 3D NAND for enterprise SSDs over consumer products.
- •Sony provided no restart date; recovery is not expected until late 2027 or 2028 when capacity increases.
- •Micron previously exited its Crucial consumer brand to focus on enterprise IT, reflecting a broader industry shift.
- •Phison’s CEO warned that NAND shortages could halt smaller consumer electronics companies by 2026, suggesting wider market impacts.