If you’ve purchased a CFexpress card recently, you’ve likely noticed something alarming: prices have nearly doubled since late 2025. A Lexar GOLD 512GB CFexpress 4.0 Type B card that sold for $344.99 as a 2-pack in December 2025 now costs $1,199.99 for the same bundle. SanDisk Extreme PRO 512GB Type B cards that were $159.99 in November are now pushing $400. And according to the CEO of SK Hynix — the world’s second-largest memory manufacturer — this is just the beginning.
The global memory shortage of 2026 is not a temporary blip. It is a structural crisis driven by the AI revolution, and it is reshaping the entire memory card landscape for photographers and filmmakers. Here’s what you need to know, how long it will last, and what you should do about it.
WHAT IS CAUSING THE SHORTAGE?
The root cause is High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) – the specialized memory used in AI accelerators like NVIDIA’s H100 and B200 GPUs. HBM is 3-5 times more profitable to manufacture than conventional DRAM or NAND flash, and AI companies are willing to pay virtually any price to secure supply. SK Hynix, which produces approximately 58% of the global HBM supply, has completely sold out its 2026 production capacity.
This has created a cascading effect across the entire semiconductor industry:
- Manufacturers are reallocating wafer capacity from consumer NAND flash to HBM and enterprise SSDs
- Samsung has raised memory chip prices by up to 60% compared to September 2025
- SK Hynix has announced 15-20% price hikes for DRAM
- Micron has sold out its entire HBM supply for 2026, locking in high-margin revenue
The critical point: HBM is NOT used in CFexpress or SD cards. But the wafer capacity that used to make consumer NAND flash is being redirected to HBM production, creating a severe supply bottleneck for the NAND flash that goes into our memory cards.
According to TrendForce, DRAM contract prices rose 55-60% quarter-on-quarter in Q1 2026, with NAND flash prices rising 33-38%. Client SSDs face price increases of over 40%. These cost increases are being passed directly to consumers.
HOW THIS AFFECTS PHOTOGRAPHERS AND FILMMAKERS
The impact on the CFexpress and SD card market has been severe and immediate:
REAL-WORLD PRICE INCREASES (observed by users on photography forums):
- Lexar GOLD 512GB CFexpress 4.0 Type B (2-pack): $344.99 → $1,199.99 (3.5x increase)
- ProGrade 512GB CFexpress Type B: ~$300 → ~$460 (as of Jan 2026)
- SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO CFexpress Type B: $159.99 → ~$400
- Generic 512GB CFexpress cards in Europe: €160 → €360 → currently ~€240 (volatile)
- OWC announced across-the-board price increases for CFexpress, SDXC, and SSD products effective January 7, 2026
User reports from Canon Rumors forums describe the situation starkly: “I bought a 512GB CFexpress from ProGrade in May 2025, and now a 240GB version costs the same – basically doubled in price.”
A photographer on Fred Miranda forums noted: “I purchased a 2-pack of Lexar cards in October 2025 for $342 from B&H. The same cards now cost over $1,000.”
BEYOND MEMORY CARDS
The crisis extends beyond cards themselves:
- DDR5 RAM for editing workstations has risen to “eye-watering levels” – impacting Lightroom, Premiere, and DaVinci Resolve performance
- NVMe SSDs for post-production storage have followed the same upward trajectory
- PC manufacturers are raising system prices 6-9% on average
- Even smartphones may see $50-100 price increases on flagship models
PANIC BUYING IS MAKING IT WORSE
Major PC manufacturers like Asus and MSI are now buying memory modules on the spot market — a practice normally reserved for emergency purchases by smaller companies. This panic buying is further depleting available supply and driving prices even higher. DigiTimes reports this behavior began in Q4 2025 and could extend into 2027.
Even companies with long-term supply agreements are purchasing aggressively, signaling that confidence in supply allocation has completely eroded among the largest buyers.
SONY SUSPENDS ALL MEMORY CARD ORDERS
The most dramatic consequence for photographers came on March 27, 2026, when Sony Japan announced it was suspending orders for nearly its entire CFexpress and SD memory card lineup.
The suspension covers:
- ALL CFexpress Type A cards (240GB, 480GB, 960GB, 1920GB)
- CFexpress Type B cards (240GB, 480GB)
- The entire SD TOUGH lineup (64GB, 128GB, 256GB)
- Standard V60 SD cards across all capacities
- Even budget V30 64GB and 128GB SD cards
Sony stated that supply is unlikely to meet demand “for the foreseeable future” and stopped accepting new orders from distributors and through its own Sony Store. This means no new Sony CFexpress or SD cards are being shipped to retailers until further notice.
For Sony Alpha shooters who rely on CFexpress Type A cards — a format exclusive to Sony cameras — this is particularly alarming. The TOUGH lineup has been the gold standard for Sony professionals, and with no new stock arriving, remaining inventory at retailers like B&H and Amazon is being sold at increasingly inflated prices.
HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST?
The short answer: longer than anyone hoped.
SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung stated in July 2026 that “the global memory chip market will face unprecedented supply shortages in 2027” and that the shortage is likely to continue past 2030.
Other analyst projections:
- UBS: Global DRAM market will remain undersupplied until at least Q2 2028
- Bank of America: Datacenter capital expenditure will hit $851 billion in 2026, rising to $1.15 trillion in 2027 meaning AI demand will INCREASE, not decrease
- TrendForce: Supply growth for DRAM is only 16% per year, NAND 17% per year – both fall well short of demand growth
- Canon Rumors analysts: “Could be well into 2027 before we see some normalization”
One potential wildcard is China’s CXMT, which raised $4.2 billion in an IPO to expand wafer capacity for DDR5 and DDR5X production. This could begin easing DRAM shortages in late 2026 or 2027, though the exact timing and impact remain uncertain.
New fabrication plants from Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are not expected to come online until late 2027 or 2028 – and there is no guarantee manufacturers will allocate that new capacity to consumer NAND rather than more profitable HBM.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO NOW
For professional photographers and filmmakers who depend on CFexpress cards for their workflow, the strategic implications are clear:
- BUY NOW IF YOU NEED CARDS
If you have upcoming shoots in 2026 or 2027 and know you’ll need additional cards, buy them now. Prices are almost certain to continue rising. Every month you wait, you risk paying more – or not being able to find stock at all.
- ROTATE YOUR CARDS
If you’ve been using the same cards for 2+ years, consider adding new cards to your rotation now rather than waiting. Card degradation is real, and replacing cards during a shortage is far more expensive than doing so proactively.
- CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE BRANDS
With Sony suspending orders, Sony shooters should explore alternative CFexpress Type A brands. ProGrade Digital’s Iridium line, Lexar GOLD, Angelbird AV PRO, Nextorage, and Wise Advanced all produce Type A cards compatible with Sony cameras. Check ProCardPrices.com for current pricing and availability across all major retailers.
- WATCH FOR DEALS – BUT ACT FAST
Retailers like B&H and Amazon still occasionally offer discounts on CFexpress cards, but these deals sell out within hours. The SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO Type B at $159.99 (when in stock) remains one of the best values, but inventory is unpredictable.
- PROTECT YOUR EXISTING CARDS
With replacement costs soaring, take extra care of the cards you already own. Use ProGrade’s Refresh Pro software to monitor card health, store cards in protective cases, and avoid exposing them to extreme temperatures.
CONCLUSION
The 2026 memory crisis is not a short-term disruption – it is a fundamental restructuring of the semiconductor industry driven by AI demand. For photographers and filmmakers, the era of cheap, abundant CFexpress cards is over, at least until 2028.
The best strategy is to assess your current and future card needs, purchase what you need now at the best available prices (use ProCardPrices.com to compare across Amazon, B&H, and Adorama), and take extra care of the cards you already own. The cards in your camera bag today may be worth significantly more tomorrow.
KEY SOURCES:
- CineD: “Global Memory Shortage 2026: What Filmmakers Need To Know” (November 26, 2025)
- Canon Rumors: “Memory Prices Spell Problems for Photographers in 2026 and Beyond” (January 2026)
- Digital Camera World / Yahoo Finance: “Memory card prices might not fall until after 2030” (July 18, 2026)
- TrendForce: DRAM/NAND contract price analysis (January 2026)
- SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung statements (July 2026)
- Sony Japan order suspension announcement (March 27, 2026)
- Newsshooter: “Sony’s CFexpress Type A/B & SD memory cards are no longer available to buy” (March 27, 2026)
- TechPowerUp: “Sony Suspends SD and CFexpress Memory Cards Production” (March 31, 2026)