SanDisk to Release 8TB SD Card Soon

At Computex 2026 held in Taiwan, SanDisk once again discussed the commercialization of high-capacity SD cards based on the SDUC (SD Ultra Capacity) standard. The company had previously announced plans to release a 4TB model over two years ago, but it never reached the market. In this announcement, it was revealed that in addition to the long-awaited 4TB card, an 8TB card with even larger capacity is expected to join the lineup.

Background of the Standard

The SDUC standard was established by the SD Association in 2018 and theoretically supports capacities up to 128TB. It was created to achieve large-capacity storage beyond the 2TB limit of the conventional SDXC standard. However, the adoption of products compatible with the SDUC standard has been limited, and product launches from major manufacturers other than SanDisk have remained scarce.

The information presented by SanDisk this time is noteworthy in that it envisions not only 4TB but also 8TB products. This was mentioned verbally by a company representative at Computex, and specific release dates or price ranges have not been disclosed.

Compatibility and Usage Conditions

To use an SDUC card, a compatible card reader or device is required. Existing SDXC-compatible readers cannot read or write to it. SDUC-compatible readers have backward compatibility and can read conventional SDXC and SDHC cards, but the reverse compatibility is not guaranteed.

Specifically, new cameras, PCs, smartphones, tablets, and other devices must support the SDUC standard. At present, the number of SDUC-compatible devices is limited and adoption has not progressed. Therefore, even if a large-capacity card is purchased, it is highly likely that the environment to actually utilize it is not yet in place.

Price and Supply Outlook

Flash storage prices have been on the rise in recent years. This is due to tight supply and demand for NAND flash memory and rising manufacturing costs. If SanDisk releases an 8TB SD card, it is expected to be quite expensive. Although no specific price range has been announced, based on the current price range of 1TB SDXC cards and the price trends of enterprise SSDs, it is highly likely to be extremely expensive for ordinary consumers.

SanDisk has previously hinted at releasing a 4TB model multiple times without following through, and the actual product launch timeline for this 8TB model remains unclear. Liliputing’s report also notes that caution is needed when handling this information.

Market Impact

In professional video production and photography fields, there is strong demand for large-capacity media capable of handling long-duration, high-resolution recording. For recording video at 8K and higher resolutions, current SDXC cards are increasingly insufficient in capacity. An 8TB card based on the SDUC standard would hold significant importance for such professional applications.

However, the fact that compatible devices have not yet caught up cannot be ignored. It is likely to take time for camera manufacturers to standardize SDUC support. Additionally, for smartphones and tablets that do not primarily use SD cards as recording media, the advantages of this standard will be limited.

Editorial Opinion

In the short term, the shortage of SDUC-compatible devices will act as a hindrance, and the adoption of 8TB cards is expected to be limited. Even for professional use, nearly no compatible cameras exist at present, making it difficult to integrate the card into actual workflows. The fact that SanDisk has not specified a concrete release date also suggests that a near-term market launch is challenging.

From a long-term perspective, the trend toward larger-capacity recording media in video production and data aggregation is inevitable, and the SDUC standard will become important as a vehicle for this. As 8K video spreads and VR/AR content becomes higher resolution, capacities exceeding 2TB are likely to become standard requirements. If prices fall and compatible devices become widespread, it could become a common option in a few years.

From the editorial perspective, whether SanDisk actually commercializes the product and when device manufacturers standardize SDUC support will determine the success or failure of this technology. On the pricing front, trends in the flash memory market will also have a major impact, so it is necessary to monitor the supply-demand balance from late 2026 through 2027.

References

• Liliputing: Lilbits: 8TB SD cards are coming soon (likely for a small fortune) — Published June 11, 2026