OpenAI has temporarily halted new sign-ups for its Pro plan ($200/month) as overwhelming demand for the GPT-6 Astra model puts massive pressure on its infrastructure. This marks the first time OpenAI has had to close a service tier due to system overload.
Unprecedented Demand
Product lead Tibo Sottiaux confirmed on X that the Pro plan puts the most strain on the system, which is why it was paused first. Cheaper tiers, including Go and Plus, along with the API, will continue operating. OpenAI did not specify how long the suspension will last, nor did it share daily subscription numbers.
A day earlier, he also wrote that demand for Astra was truly unprecedented and that OpenAI was dedicating every possible resource to serve users—something that had never occurred before, even during previous periods of rapid growth.
Why Is Astra Causing Such a Sensation?
Astra, launched on September 3, was billed by OpenAI as a generational leap marking the “AGI era.” The model promises major improvements in reasoning, coding, and computer use, and is being rolled out across every tier from Pro to Enterprise and Business.
Before the pause, OpenAI had increased usage limits for Codex users last month, suggesting that infrastructure strain has only emerged recently.
A leading AI company having to shut down a service tier due to overload reflects the gap between market expectations and real-world infrastructure capacity. OpenAI is in a period of intense growth: Astra is drawing in new users faster than servers can be scaled.
It remains unclear how long the suspension will last, and whether OpenAI will take similar steps with other plans if demand continues to rise.