ProGrade to Increase Memory Card Prices By Up to 123% in Japan
The global memory chip shortage, primarily driven by the increasing memory demands of AI data centers, has drastically affected the market, sending memory prices skyrocketing. It is widely expected to impact a wide range of products, including, per a press release from ProGrade Digital’s Japanese operation, memory cards and SSDs.
“Due to the rapid increase in demand for semiconductor memory associated with the construction of AI infrastructure, and the resulting significant increase in flash memory prices, ProGrade Digital Inc. will raise the regular prices on the Amazon.co.jp ProGrade Digital Inc. store on January 8, 2026,” ProGrade Digital explained via a press release, which has been machine-translated. “At the same time, the exchange rate, currently $1 = 150 yen, will be changed to $1 = 155 yen to reflect the current exchange rate. Please refer to the price list for the new regular prices.”
The complete breakdown of price changes in Japan is seen via the chart below, with some price increases ranging from just a few percentage points for products like the PG20 Pro Hub which doesn’t have any onboard storage to as much as 100% and more for V60 Gold series SDXC memory cards. Japanese prices for the company’s CFexpress Type A and Type B cards will increase by 20 to 64%, although most models will go up by 30-something percent.
ProGrade Digital Japan expects supply uncertainty to persist in the semiconductor memory market in 2026, likely leading to price fluctuations.
“We will make every effort to maintain as stable a product supply as possible,” the company concludes.
PetaPixel asked ProGrade Digital’s home office in the United States if price changes in Japan will carry over to additional markets, including North America. However, our contacts are on holiday, so we did not receive a response before publication. This story will be updated once we learn more about how widespread ProGrade Digital’s price increases for memory cards and SSDs will be. As of right now, there is no confirmation that ProGrade’s memory prices will increase in the U.S.
If ProGrade Digital ultimately increases its memory prices in the U.S. in response to the global memory chip shortage, it would not be alone. As Tom’s Hardware reported last month, SanDisk reportedly increased its NAND flash contract prices by 50%, which then caused a flurry of activity among downstream memory companies, including companies like Transcend pausing shipments to reevaluate their options.
Experts expect that the global memory shortage will significantly increase prices for smartphones and computers in 2026. In a smartphone, memory components can account for as much as 20% of the device’s total bill of materials, for example. Obviously, in flash memory cards for cameras, that percentage is much higher.
This is absolutely something to keep an eye on, and PetaPixel will report any updates that relate to photographers and videographers, including changes in the memory card and SSD market.
Image credits: ProGrade Digital
