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Image Credits:Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto / Getty Images1:59 PM PDT · September 10, 2026
Demand for OpenAI’s newest and most almighty model, Astra, has led the institution to temporarily intermission subscriptions for its $200-per-month Pro plan, citing strain connected its infrastructure.
The determination was announced connected X by OpenAI’s merchandise leader, Thibault (Tibo) Sottiaux, who leads halfway products similar Codex and ChatGPT astatine the AI lab. He said that the Pro program puts the astir strain connected its systems, which is wherefore sign-ups for this work tier are present being disabled.
“We wanted to instrumentality the smallest measurement that allows america to proceed giving the broadest entree possible,” Sottiaux wrote. He added that the company’s different plans, including the API and lower-cost Go and Plus plans, stay available, helium added.
The institution warned connected Wednesday that specified a alteration mightiness come. At the time, Sottiaux wrote, “Demand for Astra is truly unprecedented. We’re pulling each the levers imaginable to prolong the demand, but I’ve not seen thing similar it until present and we went done precise steep maturation before. Priority volition ever beryllium to support fantabulous work for existing users, but we mightiness person to intermission caller Pro subscriptions for a spot if this continues.”
OpenAI hasn’t said however agelong sign-ups to the Pro tier whitethorn beryllium disabled for, oregon however galore radical are signing up daily, to springiness an thought of the standard of the demand.
The institution raised usage limits for Codex users arsenic precocious arsenic last month, suggesting the strain is simply a caller phenomenon.
Launched connected September 3, Astra has been rolling retired crossed OpenAI’s plans, including Pro, Plus, Enterprise, and Business accounts, successful summation to its AI. The exemplary promises a large leap guardant successful areas similar AI reasoning, coding, and machine usage — each areas of steep competition. OpenAI adjacent heralded Astra arsenic the opening of the “AGI era,” and a generational leap, stoking request adjacent more.
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